Trials of the Valiant
by The RPGenius
Summary: This is a FF Tactics story. It picks up where the ending left off. Ramza has conquered Altima, but the forces of Lucavi aren't done with him yet! One note: To avoid confusion, all people from the beginning with random jobs aren't mentioned. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Legal Crap: I don't own these characters

Legal Crap: I don't own these characters. I don't own the game, the rights to it, or anything else. Don't sue me.

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 1

__

By The RPGenius

Neither Ramza nor Alma paused to look back. As they rode their chocobos away from the graveyard in which their names were falsely marked gravestones, neither felt, at that moment, sad to be leaving it all. After Ramza, Alma, and their friends had defeated Altima, the airship which had been carrying them had fallen, and to this day neither Ramza nor Alma had any rational idea as to how they had survived. The others were most likely all dead. Agrias, Orlandu, Reis, Meliadoul, Beowulf, Boco, Byblos Rafa, Malak, Mustadio, Worker 8, and even the stranger from an unknown land, Cloud, all hung on Ramza's mind. It made him incredibly sad to think of his comrades as dead, but he could see no other possibility. Alma, too, seemed to grieve their loss, though she had not known any of them well. 

Ramza gave a small sigh. Even if they had, miraculously, survived, he wasn't going to look for them. Both he and Alma had agreed that they weren't going back to the rest of the world. Neither would miss the corrupt country of Ivalice, and even if the had wanted to go back, they would most likely be killed. Both of them knew a lot about King Delita and how he got to power, and both knew he would likely seek to silence them forever if he knew they were alive. Everyone thought they were dead, and they were happy to let the world think that. Olan, a friend of Ramza's, had probably seen them as they passed through the graveyard, but Ramza knew that he was trustworthy. 

Ramza and Alma rode on for a short while, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. However, as they were passing a fallen tree, Ramza became aware of a far-off sound that was getting closer. He looked over at Alma. She heard it, too. Frowning, Ramza listened. However, it was Alma who first identified the sound. 

"Someone's coming this way on a chocobo, and by the sound of it, they're coming quickly." 

This put Ramza on his guard. Quickly, he unslung the Ragnarok. No one else should be coming down a path leading to nowhere and not at the speed they were going. Perhaps someone else besides Olan had seen them, a knight of the king, or maybe just a thief. 

"Better find a place to hide, Alma. Someone's following us," he warned. 

Alma replied indignantly, "Brother, if you don't know by now that I'm never going to run and hide when you tell me to, then you obviously don't know me very well." 

Ramza sighed. He didn't have time to argue, and even if he did, he knew he'd lose the argument anyway. 

"Well, at least stay hidden until I begin the attack." He looked around, trying to formulate a strategy. 

"We'll hide behind this fallen tree. When they ride by, I'll ambush them. While we're fighting, cast Mbarrier on me, then you can help. The chocobos will--where'd they go?" Ramza looked around, but didn't see them. 

"They ran off the moment we got off them. I think we paid too much for them," Alma informed him. 

Ramza focused his attention on hiding himself and Alma from sight. Those chocobos had probably been trained to run off and return to the previous owner, anyway. It certainly wasn't an uncommon practice, and not illegal. 

Once he and Alma were sufficiently hidden from sight, Ramza listened. He was happy to hear only one chocobo coming. At least whoever it was was alone. 

The rider was very close now. Ramza heard whoever it was get off of their chocobo and start walking towards the tree which he and Alma were hiding behind. He gripped the Ragnarok tighter. He prepared to jump out and- 

"Ramza Beoulve, come out from behind that tree--I'm not going to attack," called Agrias. Ramza, astounded that she was alive, well, and following him, quickly stood up and walked forward. He couldn't help grinning as he clasped hands with her. 

"Agrias! I thought you died back when the airship fell!" Ramza suddenly saw the chocobo that Agrias was riding, and exclaimed, "Boco's okay, too! That's great! Is anyone else with you?" 

Agrias smiled (an uncommon occurance) and told him, "We've found all our friends, besides Orlandu. He wouldn't happen to be with you, by any chance...?" When Ramza shook his head no, Agrias continued. By this time, Alma had come out. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. He's probably just lying low. After all, he's supposed to have been killed already. But getting back on the subject, we were scattered all over Ivalice. I woke up next to Boco and Mustadio. When we went to Mustadio's home, Beowulf and Reis were there. Reis had been sure that Mustadio would go there first, and she was right. They had already found all the others, besides Orlandu. When she heard that there would be a funeral for you, she felt positive that you would both be around. Apparently, she's good at second-guessing peoples' actions. I went to get you both, but I was late. Luckily, I met Olan and Balmafula, and they told me where you had gone. And so here I am." 

Ramza felt a great weight lifted from his heart. His friends meant a lot to him. "So everyone's waiting for us, besides Orlandu?" 

Agrias nodded. "Yes, except for Cloud. Mustadio managed to send him back to wherever he came from. But Ramza," she continued on, "Some of them plan to say goodbye when you get back. Beowulf and Reis have lives to get back to, and I think Rafa and Malak have found a job somewhere." 

Ramza felt both happy and sad at this news. But there was no real reason for all of them to stay together. Altima/Ajora was dead, or at least defeated, and with Delita ruling, the kingdom seemed to have settled down somewhat. 

Alma jumped onto Boco's back. "Well, let's go see them, then! Sorry brother, but I claim Boco for the trip back." 

As the companions set out, Ramza realized that he would have been miserable if he had disappeared, as he and Alma had planned. He would have missed his friends too much.


	2. Chapter 2

Legal Crap: I don't own this stuff

Legal Crap: I don't own this stuff. Don't sue me.

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 2

__

By The RPGenius

Boco was feeling extremely happy. First, he had found his master, Ramza. Secondly, Agrias had gotten off him. It wasn't that Boco had a problem with people riding him (so long as they were friends of his master). He just didn't like having to carry people with lots of heavy armor, and Agrias wore plenty of it. This Alma person was much lighter. 

As they walked along, Ramza, Alma, and Agrias conversed a lot. Boco listened to them as he slowly walked on. Master Ramza and Agrias were explaining the big adventure to Alma. Boco didn't think they mentioned his deeds enough, but he said nothing. From some of their talk, Boco came to realize that Alma was Master Ramza's egg-mate (sister was a human word for it). It seemed that Agrias already knew, which made Boco incredibly indignant. Why hadn't anyone told him? He would have taken special care of her, had he known. He carefully adjusted his stride so that it would be as comfortable as possible. After all, Alma was now a mistress to him. 

Master Ramza was asking Agrias a question. "By the way, Agrias, how did you know I was hiding behind that fallen tree?" 

Boco recalled that he had smelled Master Ramza's scent and had stopped before the fallen tree. Maybe Agrias had smelled Master Ramza, too. 

"Ramza, the way this foolish chocobo was running, I knew you must have heard and realized someone was following you. As we approached the fallen log, I realized that your strategic mind would realize its value. Honestly, after all the fights we've been in, don't you think I know you?" 

Boco was shocked. How dare she call him foolish?! He opened his beak to give his view on the matter, but stopped before he had begun. Nice as humans usually were, they weren't quite smart enough to understand chocobo tongue. In fact, the only one of Master Ramza's allies who could understand chocobo talk was Byblos, and he made Boco nervous, so they rarely talked. 

Oh, well. Boco would just have to remember to throw Agrias off the next time she got on him. 

* * *

Alma was starting to get tired. Agrias and Ramza might have been used to traveling all day, but she wasn't. However, such thoughts only strengthened her resolve to keep going. She was constantly arguing with Ramza about his being too protective. Neither Ramza nor Agrias were showing any signs of fatigue, and they had been walking all the time, whereas she had been riding (and this chocobo seemed to be trying to make the ride a smooth one). 

Alma's mind began to wander as time rolled on. She wondered if Ramza would introduce her to all of his friends. She wasn't sure whether she was happy to be meeting them all. Certainly, she would be happy to meet them all, but... 

She looked over at Agrias. Agrias was polite, of course, but she seemed a bit cold at times. Ramza had told Alma that Agrias was simply just that way around people, but Agrias had seemed to be friendlier to Ramza. Of course, Agrias knew Ramza better than she knew Alma, but was that the only part of it? Maybe Agrias simply didn't like her. And if Agrias didn't like Alma, would anyone? It meant a lot to her. She didn't want them to just see her as their leader's sister, who constantly needed to be saved. She wanted to be considered one of them... 

* * *

Agrias looked over at Alma. Finally! Agrias had been waiting for her to drift off to sleep. Agrias was exhausted, but she wasn't going to admit that to this to Ramza. But now that Alma had gone to sleep, they had an excuse to make camp for the night. 

"Ramza, I think Alma is asleep. Perhaps we should call it a day," she told Ramza. 

He sighed. Agrias realized that he, too, was tired, but he also wanted to see his allies safe and sound. 

"Ramza, if you walk in after midnight, none of our allies are going to be awake to greet us. Let's just continue on in the morning. It won't take long after that for us to get there," she pointed out. 

She was right, and he knew it. "Okay, but I think that Alma should stay on Boco for the night. He's probably more comfortable than the ground." 

They set about making camp. It didn't take long before both were settled and waiting for sleep to overtake them. 

Then Ramza spoke. "So Agrias, what do you plan to do after we've arrived? Are you going to resume your old job as Ovelia's bodyguard?" 

Agrias had asked this question of herself several times. She always knew the answer, but she couldn't come up with any reasons she believed. 

"I don't think so. I think it would be dangerous, for one thing. Delita knows that I know some secrets about him that would hurt his image. He might believe it safer if I were out of the picture," she told him. 

"Olan knows a lot of Delita's secrets, but he's alive and serving Delita," Ramza pointed out. 

"Still, I wouldn't feel safe. And now that Ovelia is the queen, she has an entire army to protect her. She's in good hands." These were the reasons she had given herself, and they were both valid reasons, but she knew that they weren't the reason. She didn't know why she wanted to stay with Ramza's group more than she wanted to have her old job back. 

Ramza was silent. He might not believe her entirely. Or perhaps he was just asleep. Speaking of sleeping, she should get to it. Alma was already asleep, and from the soft, snore-like warks, Boco was, too. All Agrias's questions could wait for tomorrow... 

The night wore on as the travelers slept peacefully under the stars. 

* * *

Elsewhere, things were not so peaceful. In the gloomy streets of Murond Death City, the soldiers who had followed Vormav, Elmdor, Wiegraf, and of course Ajora/Altima, were in chaos. They were now leaderless. Leaderless, unless you counted the many self-appointed leaders to whom no one listened. They had no leader, no plan, and no clue as to what to do next. The meeting they had called had turned into a screaming match between the ambitious ones who wanted to be leader. 

* * *

A little ways away from the meeting, a lone archer nervously made his way down the dark alleys. He was part of a secret group of the soldiers arguing at the meeting. Everyone had to belong to a faction, and this particular faction's leader did not seem to be a hot-headed fool like many of the other faction leaders. This leader was secretive, sly, and waited for the precise moment to strike. 

The archer rounded one more corner and waited. He was the special spy of his leader's, and so he had to give his reports personally. 

As he waited in the cold night air, a hooded figure seemed to materialize from the shadows. The archer felt a shiver run down his spine, and not from the cold air. Whatever was underneath the leader's dark hood, nobody had seen it and told a tale about it. 

The figure lifted a gloved hand and signaled the archer to begin the report. He gulped and began, "There's been no real change. People constantly switch factions, trying to get on the side of the loudest fool yelling his brains out. Nobody really has a plan. None of the factions seem to outnumber ours by more than a few scores, and many are still undecided." The hood nodded slightly, indicating for him to continue. He cleared his throat and said, "That's all I have to report, Syldreth, sir-" 

There was a flicker of movement, and suddenly the archer looked down to see a knife protruding from his chest. As his eyes grew misty and his hearing dimmed with death, he heard a mocking laugh echo until finally his hearing ceased. 

* * *

After dealing with the foolish archer, Syldreth stalked off into the shadows. Once safely hidden, the hood which hid the face so many served, but did not know, was lowered. Once the hood was down, Syldreth let down her long, jet-black hair. She looked over at the dead archer. Fool! She had killed better men for less than calling her 'sir'. Nobody knew anything about her, save her personal advisor, but people should not have been so soon to assume that the great Syldreth was male. Well, she certainly hadn't picked the archer for brains, and it would be no great task to replace him. 

Syldreth carefully made her way to the small, underground cavern that served as both her living quarters and her secret base. She would not have had to be so careful had her hood been up, but it was cumbersome to wear. She had her reasons for wearing it, though. She suspected that if some of her minions knew she was a woman, they might not follow her as loyally as they did now. Worthless as they were to her, she needed a good amount of them until her plans were set in motion. 

Quite suddenly, Syldreth went completely still. A few seconds later, a squire and knight came around the corner. They passed by, completely unaware that one had almost brushed up against her. 

When they left, Syldreth relaxed. Being a ninja had its advantages. It was all but impossible to see her when she was in the shadows. 

Slowly, she made her way to her destination, totally undetected by all the guards she passed. 


	3. Chapter 3

Trials of the Valiant

Legal Crap: I don't own this stuff. I would be most appreciative if you did not sue me.

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 3

__

By The RPGenius

Once she had arrived, Syldreth quickly made her way down the shaft that led to her quarters. Once she was inside, she was not surprised to see Duegran, her advisor. Duegran was, however, only advisor in name. He rarely gave very good advice, and Syldreth rarely listened to anyone's advice beyond her own. Duegran was more of an aide, really. He took care of minor matters and kept the troops together. Syldreth simply called him an advisor because she told him many plans, and he told her what he thought of them. 

Duegran voiced his thoughts. "How goes it? Has the situation with those loud-mouthed buffoons changed at all?" 

Syldreth gave a mirthless laugh. "Those fools are still in chaos over there. But that's good--it fits in with my plans perfectly." 

Duegran was looking extremely nervous now. Obviously, he was about to ask a question. 

Syldreth cut him off. "You're going to ask what, exactly, my plans are. Am I correct?" 

Duegran looked a bit relieved that she hadn't thought the question rude. "It's just that you often refer to your plans, but you don't go into them. I was just curious." 

"To be quite honest, I have a few plans in the works. Right now, the men I told you about are digging on Nelveska Isle, correct?" 

Duegran nodded. "Yes, I put them on the project as soon as you told me to." 

"Good. I hope to find something useful there. Getting back to my other plans, at the moment, I have a few objectives. Number one is to get a Zodiac Stone, preferably one that has not already transformed someone." 

"But I thought all the Zodiac monsters were gone, now that Altima's gone?" Duegran asked, obviously confused. 

"Not all are dead. Just the ones that Ramza killed. Even if one cannot be summoned, getting the stone is still important. Perhaps if all twelve are in our possession, we can again summon Altima. And even if we can't, we could still get those foolish followers out there to unquestioningly obey us. That is the second objective, getting them to do as I say. I believe a Zodiac Stone would frighten them into submission, or at least most of them." 

"How will we get a stone? Ramza will surely hide some in safe places, and give the rest to people he deems trustworthy. Surely we cannot go after them...?" 

"Don't worry about that. The Lord of Darkness always provides opportunity. Those stones have a habit of finding their way to the suitable bodies for them. I am sure someone here is suitable for a stone. Once a Zodiac monster has made it to this world, he will pull this rabble back together. We shall serve him as we served the others." 

"It is not my place to ask, but is that the full extent of our operations? Just to do those two things?" Duegran asked. 

"No. There is one more objective," Syldreth went on. "We must kill Ramza Beoulve. He is a descendant of the one to defeat Altima the first time, and he has defeated Altima recently himself. He must die for this, but he must die quickly. We must not allow him time to begin another line of descendants to cause trouble for us. His friends should die, too, for helping him, especially that traitorous demon, Byblos." 

Duegran cleared his throat and dared to ask one more question. "Should we not also kill Alma Beoulve immediately? They are both of the same family tree--her descendants might also cause trouble." 

Syldreth looked over at him, mildly surprised. She would not have expected him to think of that. Obviously, his hearing her talk must have been stimulating to his feeble strategic mind. 

"We shall capture Alma after Ramza is dealt with. She was a suitable body for Altima before, she might still have her uses. However, it is imperative that we kill all of Ramza's allies. They might--no, will--try to rescue her if they live. Now, unless you have urgent news, I suggest you leave. Make sure all operations are in order." 

As Duegran left, Syldreth set about sharpening her blades and throwing knives. So far, things were going well for her. 

* * *

Dawn was breaking, and a beautiful sunrise was casting warmth upon the night-chilled world. 

The beauty of the sunrise was totally lost upon Jacco Crun, who was busy feeding his many chocobos. Jacco Crun was known for his good farm and large supply of chocobos, which he sold to travelers. Somehow, his supply of chocobos never seemed to diminish. 

This was mainly because all his chocobos had been trained to up and run back to the farm as soon as they got the chance. They were then given a treat, and waited to do it again. Jacco made most of his money 'selling' chocobos to people, and had never lost a chocobo yet. 

Jacco Crun, instead of staring at the sunrise, was staring at the two small chocobo figures approaching. Good, Booc and Opena were back. He'd give them a Grysahl green each, and sell them again as soon as another traveler came around. 

Once the chocobos had arrived, Jacco noticed that Booc had something in it's beak. Another trick Jacco had taught his chocobos was to secretly take something valuable, or at least useful, from the people riding them. 

The chocobo dropped a small, purple stone into Jacco's palm. Jacco was pleased. This, certainly, was quite valuable. Jacco rewarded Booc with a Sylkis green, a rare treat for chocobos, and went into his home. After thinking a little while, Jacco decided to put the small stone in a locked chest. He wouldn't sell it, not until he'd asked a jeweler its actual cost. 

Jacco chuckled, pleased with himself. 

* * *

Boco was having a terrific dream. He was busy eating a pile of greens bigger than a house. Unfortunately, since it was a dream, he couldn't actually taste them. But at least he could smell them. Wait a minute... 

Boco's eyes snapped open. Grysahl greens--Mimett greens--Reagen greens--he could smell them all--where?!--over there--no wait--over a little more--Yes! He saw a large pot with them all in! 

"Oh, so you're finally up, Boco?" asked Master Ramza. "You were right, Agrias, as soon as he smelled those greens cooking, he woke up." 

Master Ramza looked over at Mistress Alma, who had been cooking the delicious greens. "You know, Alma, usually I just feed him some raw greens for breakfast, and he likes them well enough then. You didn't have to create a stew of them." 

Mistress Alma looked up from stirring the stew. "Well, I imagine he'll like a change of taste. After all, everything can get boring after a while. You're just unhappy because I'm making his breakfast before ours." 

Mistress Alma called her creation Choco Stew. If there had been anything about Mistress Alma that he hadn't liked, all was forgotten and forgiven the instant Boco tried the stew. It was delicious. 

Though he knew she couldn't understand him, Boco gave several warks of gratitude to Mistress Alma, who looked pleased. 

"See, Ramza, he likes it. You can tell." 

Boco was astounded. Perhaps humans were smarter than they seemed. Obviously, while she didn't understand the language, Mistress Alma could understand the basic emotional meaning of his talk. 

Once Boco had finished his meal, he looked around for a source of entertainment while the others were eating. He decided to go look at those nice, shiny things Master Ramza kept. What were they called? Oh, yeah, 'Zodiac Stones'. He walked over to the bag containing them. 

Upon examining the bag's contents, Boco was surprised to see that one was missing. That nice purple one, 'Cancer', wasn't there. Master Ramza seemed to think that these rocks were really important. Boco considered letting him know that one was missing, but decided against it. Master Ramza took careful care of those things, so he probably already knew. 

Boco checked back on his human friends. Good, they were finally ready to go. After Mistress Alma had safely gotten on his back, the four set out for Goug Machine City to see their friends again. 


	4. Chapter 4

Legal Crap: I don't own any of this, except the characters I make up

Legal Crap: I don't own any of this, except the characters I make up. But if it means avoiding a possible law suit, I don't own them, either. Don't sue me.

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 4

__

By The RPGenius

It was only a few hours' journey to Goug, but to Ramza, it seemed much longer. He missed all his friends incredibly. 

The trip was uneventful. For the most part, everyone was too busy with their own thoughts. Ramza was still trying to figure out how they had all survived (with the possible exception of Orlandu). Alma was probably trying to decide how she should act around Ramza's friends when they got there. Agrias was also silent. 

The small conversation that he and Agrias had had the night before came into Ramza's mind. He suspected there was actually another reason for her not going back to protecting Ovelia. But from the tone of voice she had used, Ramza also suspected that she herself didn't know. 

It was not long before they could see Goug Machine City coming up on the horizon. 

* * *

Meanwhile, in Goug, Mustadio was busy. There had to be some way to give Worker 8 an artificial intelligence, and he was going to find it. It would be easier for everyone if Worker 8 would at least pay attention to someone besides Ramza, and if Ramza really was dead, then Worker 8 would be useless. Mustadio didn't want to to believe Ramza dead, but he had to be realistic and acknowledge all possibilities. 

There was a knock on the door. Mustadio looked up from his theoretical scribblings. "Come in, I'm not busy." 

The door opened and Meliadoul came in. "I just thought you should know that it's breakfast time. Your father is in the kitchen making it." 

"What!?" Mustadio said, startled. He rushed over to a window and pulled away the curtain. "Oh man, I was up all night! That stupid robot's equations kept me up all night!" 

"Have you come up with a way to fix that problem? You know, to make him smart?" asked Meliadoul. 

Mustadio sighed. "I'm trying to give him the ability to reason, not make him smart. And no, I haven't been able to come close." Mustadio sighed again. "Oh, well. Say, what's my dad making?" 

* * *

Mustadio's father, Besrodio, looked up from the meal he was making and sighed. This was getting ridiculous. Didn't any of these people have their own home to go to? Trying to fit a Temple Knight, his wife, a Heaven Knight, a Byblos, a Hell Knight, a robot, and a Divine Knight in one house was ridiculous. They were all nice, but he was going to have to ask them to leave pretty soon.

The tables that they all sat at were filled to capacity. This morning they all seemed excited about some letter that had come, but they decided not to open it until the others came back. Mustadio's father paid little attention to all this. He was much more interested in tinkering with some of the devices he had recently dug up. 

* * *

The travelers had finally made it to Goug Machine City. Quickly, they made their way through the bustling streets toward Mustadio's home. It was still fairly early, so there weren't as many people as there might have been. 

Before long, they had made their way to Mustadio's home. Ramza walked up to the door, opened it, and walked inside, where everyone was sitting, eating breakfast. 

There was silence for a split second, and then, suddenly, he was surrounded by all his friends (except Orlandu, who still hadn't shown up), shaking hands and being clapped on the back. Many, many questions, greetings, and stories of what had happened reached his ears in a confused jumble. 

* * *

Eventually, everyone settled down and allowed Ramza to sit down, along with Alma and Agrias. 

Ramza was kind enough to introduce Alma to his friends. She and Rafa got along well from the beginning. Malak was nice. Beowulf and his wife were both kind and polite. Meliadoul seemed a bit impatient, but was courteous to Alma nonetheless. Mustadio was very nice to her. The robot, Worker 8, was a bit intimidating, but her brother had assured her that it would not hurt her. Finally, she had met Byblos. He was a bit unnerving, and she wasn't sure that she liked him, but she tried her best to be polite. He said nothing, and left Alma feeling a little nervous. 

However, for the most part, Alma was pleased. Most of Ramza's friends were nice and seemed eager to meet her. 

* * *

Ramza, meanwhile, had been telling everyone what he and Alma had been doing before Agrias found them. For the most part, they had traveled straight to their false funeral, after 'buying' those two chocobos from the famous farmer, Jacco Crun. 

Once Ramza had finished his story, Beowulf informed him of a special letter that had arrived. Ramza opened the letter addressed to him and wondered who could have known he would arrive there that day. After reading the signature, Ramza became excited. It was from Orlandu. 

Ramza read the letter out loud. "To Ramza, Alma, and all my friends: First of all, I am alive and well. You were probably wondering and I just wanted to put your worries to rest. I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you where I am writing from, nor am I going to join you again. There is some unfinished business of mine which I must attend to. I hope to see you all again after I have completed this task. 

"Ramza, I am writing to tell you many things, not just my goodbye. I would like to tell you that your father would have been proud of you. I know that some of your actions have caused you to doubt this, but I knew Balbanes well, and I can say without a doubt that he would have been proud of you. Continue to live your way, helping the people who need it and standing up for what is right. Balbanes did the same when he was younger, and it is good to see that someone is taking up his ideals in his absence. 

"Ramza, if you reading this aloud, please stop. I have things to say to some of you that are private." Ramza stopped and handed the letter to Alma. "The next part is written to you." 

Alma took the letter and read to herself, "Alma, we do not know each other well. However, I want to give you this advice: Do not doubt yourself. You may find times when you are unsure of the value of your judgement, but I believe that as long as you do what you feel is right, your judgement will always have worth." 

After reading, Alma passed it to Agrias, who took the letter and silently read: "Agrias, you have terrific potential. I believe that with a little more training, you could even become a Holy Swordsman, like me. Therefore, I think you should stay with Ramza. I'm sure he'll have more adventures that will be good training opportunities. 

"I also think that you would have stayed even if I hadn't just asked you. You probably don't understand why you've come to that decision. I think I know, though. 

"If you decide to stay with Ramza's group, I have a request of you: Look after him. He is like a nephew to me, and while he has good judgement, he also has a tendency to get in trouble. He will need steadfast friends to help him in times of need." 

Agrias silently handed the letter to Beowulf and Reis. 

"Beowulf and Reis, I wish you a happy life together. If you don't want to stay with Ramza and want to settle down, then please accept a gift from me. Enclosed is a small key to a house I recently bought you in Igros. I won't be needing my money anymore, and I can think of no better way to spend it than on friends. The house is much better than the common, run-down shacks typically for sale. I hope you enjoy it." 

Beowulf and Reis hugged each other and handed the letter to Mustadio. 

"Mustadio, I haven't been able to understand a single thing about your machines, but I think that the things that they can do are incredible. Keep tinkering with them. I have a feeling you'll end up inventing many useful tools." 

Meliadoul was next. 

"Meliadoul, I don't know what I can say. Don't know if there's anything I CAN say. There is no real consolation to give you. I am sorry that you have lost both your brother and your father. All I can tell you is this: In my experience, it is easier to take the loss of loved ones if you have your friends. Look to the friends you've made in times of need. Good luck." 

Meliadoul passed the letter to Rafa and Malak. 

"Rafa and Malak, you have a strong bond to each other, much like Ramza and Alma. I hope that this bond between you never breaks. Always remember that you have each other to call on when there is something wrong. I wish you both luck." 

They gave it back to Ramza, who read the rest aloud. 

"My friends, I hope to see you again someday, but in case I cannot, I would like to tell you some things. To begin with, it was an honor to fight alongside you all. Some of you may have further adventures, and some may not, but as long as there are people like you, the world will remain a decent place for the innocent. I dislike long good-byes, so this is it. Good-bye and good luck.

__

Orlandu

AKA Thunder God Cid 


	5. Chapter 5

Legal Crap: None of this stuff belongs to me

Legal Crap: None of this stuff belongs to me. For the love of all that's holy, and even for the stuff that isn't, don't sue me.

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 5

__

By The RPGenius

Ramza and all his friends spent the night at Mustadio's home. Beowulf and Reis had said their goodbyes to everyone. The next morning, they would be setting out for Igros, where they had a house waiting, courtesy of Orlandu. Rafa and Malak were also planning to leave. Malak had found a job in nearby Warjilis, and Rafa would be looking for a job herself. Mustadio was planning to stay in Goug and work with his father.

As for Ramza, he didn't know exactly what he would do, himself. Agrias, Alma, Byblos, Meliadoul, and Worker 8 were all planning to follow him, but where would he leading them? Ajora's threat was over, and Ramza had all of the Zodiac Stones, so no new Zodiac monsters would be coming. Ramza supposed they could try to fight thieves and others who attacked innocent people, but opportunities to do such things rarely came, and the local soldiers in towns usually managed to deal with such things themselves. He supposed that taking up jobs that were offered in pubs was an acceptable start. Sometimes those jobs were worthy causes, like dealing with local monsters or escorting people through dangerous territory.

Yes, Ramza thought, that was probably what he would start with. After that, who knew? Life often threw many unexpected occurrences at people. Perhaps something would happen.

The night wore on, and soon Ramza was asleep.

* * *

Other people, however, had work to do, and no time for sleep. So was the case of the thief who had just broken silently into the home of Jacco Crun.

He had volunteered for the job. It was an easy one: break into the home of the famous Jacco Crun and take as many valuables as he could find. Syldreth's forces were constantly growing, and so needed a constant supply of money to buy the proper equipment for the new recruits. Thus, many thieves were employed to get the funds.

The thief quickly made his way through the house. He was an expert at his profession, and could always spot places that might be secret hiding places for gil. As he had thought, Jacco Crun kept a good deal of money at home, to supplement the incredible amount in the bank.

The thief was almost about to leave, having found about 1,000,000 gil, but stopped as he passed a small chest. He gave a small chuckle. He had never seen so obvious a target. Almost certainly, Mr. Crun kept things of great worth in this chest.

After dismantling the simple lock on the chest, he opened it and surveyed its contents. Suddenly, he went totally still, and looked. He had seen two Zodiac Stones, one with Vormav and the other with Wiegraf.

As he looked at the small, purple stone inside, he gathered his thoughts. Quickly, he closed the chest. The thief picked up the bags of stolen gil, and made his way for the nearest transporter to Murond Death City. Luckily for Syldreth's forces, another transporter to enter and exit the city had been found, and required an even simpler curse than the one that Rofel had used. The curse was so simple, even a thief could easily use it.

The thief hurried on. He had to inform Lord Duegran of his discovery!

* * *

Duegran all but ran to his leader's chambers. Whether or not she was awake, or in a good mood, Duegran knew that she would have to know about this.

He burst into her chambers, out of breath. After looking around, he groaned softly. She appeared to be out.

Then, before he knew what was happening, there was a sword at his throat. Apparently, Syldreth was there, after all.

Her voice was dangerously low. "I will give you a total of five seconds to give me a reason not to kill you for entering without permission."

Duegran could hardly contain himself. "The Zodiac Stone, Cancer, has been found!"

Instantly, the sword came away from his throat.

"Where? How did you find it?" This was the first time that Duegran had ever heard her voice sound excited.

Duegran continued quickly. "Thief number twelve was looting the house of a Mr. Jacco Crun as part of an assignment. He discovered that this stone is in the possession of this Jacco Crun. He is sure that it is one of the stones. He's seen the stones that Wiegraf and Vormav used, so he is probably correct in his judgement. Shall I send a team to get it?"

Syldreth put on her hood. "No. I will handle this myself. Unless there is something else, you are dismissed."

Duegran cleared his throat. "Actually, there is one other thing. The men digging at Nelveska Island have uncovered one potential working device. Once it has been activated, we should have no problem controlling it. Best of all, its slot has the Cancer symbol on it."

"Excellent. You know what to do. Now, I must go and retrieve the Zodiac Stone." With that, the Phantom Ninja disappeared into the early morning darkness.

Duegran stopped for a moment to write himself some notes. One, to promote the thief who had discovered the stone, and two, to personally assist the engineers as they attempted to fully unearth the device. No telling what sort of idiocy those bungling fools would manage with no one to supervise.

Duegran gave himself a small smile. Indeed, Syldreth's plans were working out nicely.

* * *

Dawn had begun to break; a beautiful orange and yellow hue was being shaped upon the world as the sun awakened it.

Once again, the beauty of the sunrise was totally lost upon Jacco Crun. He was too busy looking for his secret stash of gil to look at the dawn break.

Jacco dashed from one place to another, moaning softly to himself. Out of the ten hiding places in which he had hidden gil, only two remained untouched.

He slowly sat down. That was at least one million gil down the drain. Although this was no financial problem to one as rich as Jacco Crun, he was extremely greedy and, like many rich people, paranoid. So this robbery left him feeling extremely depressed.

Suddenly, Jacco saw that the door to his small chest was open. He bent quickly to see what valuables had been taken. To his great surprise, they were all there.

A cold voice from behind him shocked him. "So, it looks as though you've lost a bit of money."

Jacco whirled around to see a cloaked figure standing right behind him.

"What are you doing here?! Get out of my home!" he yelled at the stranger.

"I am here to take that stone. I will give you one thousand gil for it," the concealed one responded.

Jacco allowed himself a small smile. Whoever it was was going to have to do better than that. Even in shock, Jacco's business mind was working fine.

"No. I'll give it to you for twenty thousand gil and no less," he said craftily.

Jacco suddenly found himself staring at the tip of a rather deadly looking blade. "I will have the stone, and I don't really care if you are alive to see it. The only reason that I did not instantly kill you was because I am in a good mood. Now, if you wish to keep me in good humor, I suggest you give it to me!" the stranger hissed.

Jacco hurriedly took the thousand gil and threw the stone to the deadly customer.


	6. Chapter 6

Trials of the Valiant

Legal Crap: I don't own any of the rights to this stuff. Don't sue me, por favor. 

****

Trials of the Valiant: Chapter 6

__

By The RPGenius

Syldreth caught the stone and looked at it. As she did, a small shiver ran through her. With this her plans could surely succeed.

She turned abruptly and walked out, leaving the foolish man shaking with fear.

Due to the light of dawn hindering her, it took a long time for Syldreth to make her way to the nearby Gulg Volcano where the transporter to Murond Death City was located. However, she cared very little about the slight delay, excited as she was about her new possession.

Upon arriving in Murond Death City, she hurried back to her quarters. She would have to carefully bide her time until the next part of her plan came to pass.

* * *

Boco had woken up a bit early. This uncommon occurrence meant one of two things: a. He was supposed to be eating, or b. he smelled food. He had woken up to an empty stomach, and decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, the rest of the house's occupants were all asleep.

Boco made his way quietly to Ramza's sleeping quarters. He approached Master Ramza quietly. Boco gently nudged Master Ramza with his beak. Master Ramza snorted, then continued sleeping. Boco spoke his feelings with several loud, hungry warks. Master Ramza turned over in his sleep.

Boco was now getting extremely hungry. He began pecking Master Ramza somewhat forcefully. Finally, Master Ramza awakened with a yawn.

"Good morning, Boco. I guess you're hungry, right? Well, let's go to the kitchen, I left some greens there," Master Ramza said sleepily.

Boco happily followed Master Ramza out to the kitchen. They weren't the only ones there. Beowulf, Reis, Malak, and Rafa were already there. To Boco's great dismay, Master Ramza stopped to talk to them.

"Well, leaving already? Then I guess this is goodbye for a while."

Beowulf nodded and said, "Reis and I are going to Igros now. We said our farewells last night, so we saw no reason to continue saying them this morning."

Master Ramza shook Beowulf's hand. "Good luck, then. I hope you're happy in your new home."

This was all very well and good, but WHERE WAS BOCO'S BREAKFAST!? He was famished! He...wanted...GREENS!!!

Meanwhile, Master Ramza had now started to say goodbye to Rafa and Malak. "Good luck with the new jobs, you two. We'll probably meet again, as I'll be traveling around."

Boco began to run around in circles, frantic with hunger. He began to protest in loud, angry warks.

"Boco, be quiet! I'm trying to talk!" Master Ramza told him.

Boco, exhausted and weak from hunger (and running about in circles), flopped down and quietly awaited death by starvation.

Malak was talking to Master Ramza again. "Well then, may we meet again someday, Ramza. Until then, good luck."

"You too," Master Ramza responded.

Boco was imagining how sorry Master Ramza would be when he turned and saw Boco, skin and bones. Then Boco would die, and there would be a huge funeral. Every person and chocobo in Ivalice would attend the sad ceremony. They'd have all the kings and nobles make speeches about how wonderful he had been, and-

Boco's daydream was interrupted once he noticed the pile of greens Master Ramza had finally set before him. Boco suddenly forgot his fatigue, and quickly devoured them.

While he was eating, Mistress Alma, Agrias, Meliadoul, and Byblos eventually came in. Over breakfast, Master Ramza informed them all of their next course of action. As Boco messily devoured his greens, he reflected upon how much it resembled many of Master Ramza's councils of war in the past.

Master Ramza cleared his throat and said, "I've decided that, for the time being, we can best help people by taking up odd jobs offered at local bars. They-"

Agrias angrily interrupted. "No, Ramza! You cannot seriously be thinking of throwing away our dignity like that! I refuse to lower myself to that level!"

Master Ramza sighed. Boco could tell that he had anticipated this.

"Listen, if we take up jobs, we'll be helping people. That's basically all we're really still working together for. If you don't want to do that, then you're free to leave."

Agrias looked angry still, but did not say anything. Meliadoul, however, had her own opinions to voice.

"If that's our goal, shouldn't we just join that new civilian defense branch of the royal military? You know, the one Delita recently organized?" she asked.

Ramza sighed and shook his head. "The idea of knights protecting citizens is good, but that would get us a bit too close to Delita for my liking. He might--no, he would--decide that we would be too dangerous to keep alive. Plus, by working around, we can keep our ears to the ground. We can always be on top of the news, official or not."

Mistress Alma seemed confused. "But why would we need to?"

"You never know what we might find. For instance, we might be able to hear about terrorists planning to murder the king, or-"

Meliadoul interrupted. "But wouldn't it make things a lot easier for us if Delita WERE gone?"

Master Ramza sighed wearily and said, "No. He has managed to bring this land back under control, despite his methods. He has made it safer for innocent people to live their lives again. If he were suddenly to leave, then another bout of the Lion War might break out. We have the interest of the good of the common people as our objective, and starting a war is not a good way of accomplishing that. By listening in to rumors and such during the sort of jobs we'll be taking on, we can act as a sort of protection unit for the people of Ivalice."

Had Boco not had a mouth stuffed full of greens, he would have congratulated Master Ramza with several enthusiastic warks. He thought it was a very good plan.

Meliadoul had one last thought, though. "I don't mean to put a damper on things, but have you considered this? We have four humans, a chocobo, a robot, and a Byblos. How much good can we do?"

Master Ramza smiled a little. "I've never been one to take the easy way of life. Just a little while ago, we were challenging all that the forces of Hell could throw at us. We made a difference then, and I intend to keep on making a difference."


	7. Chapter 7

Legal Crap: Does anyone actually read this

Legal Crap:Does anyone actually read this?Well, in the case that they do, I don't own the rights to this stuff.Don't sue me.

TRIALS OF THE VALIANT:CHAPTER 7

By The RPGenius

Duegran was beginning to get worried.His boss had left hours ago, and had not yet returned with the stone.What if something had gone wrong?Maybe she had bumped into Ramza and his allies and been killed.Maybe she had been caught by a group of soldiers.Maybe-

"Well, we now have Cancer," came Syldreth's voice behind him.

Duegran jumped up in shock.Syldreth probably found scaring him funny, partly because she could do it with such ease.

Duegran turned around.Syldreth was just entering her quarters.She must have seen the relieved look on Duegran's face, for she said, "No need to have been worried.I'm not an incompetent minion; I don't get caught."

Duegran voiced the largest thought on his mind."So the thief was correct?The stone was, indeed, the Zodiac Stone Cancer?"

"It was," she replied.

Duegran took a large breath.Syldreth had been correct, the stone HAD found its way to an owner.Or had it?"If you wish, I can begin looking for a suitable body for it."

"No.It will get to the person suited for it eventually.Until then, I shall keep it," she told him.

Duegran bowed."As you wish."

As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something."Oh, yes, there is something else.Er...well...the engineer leading the excavation team at Nelveska Island is having some...problems.It would seem that...well, he says it will take at least a month to transport the object that they dug up," Duegran said, gulping nervously.He was well aware of Syldreth's usual reward for bad news.

This time, though, Syldreth must have been in a good mood about the Zodiac Stone."Very well, that won't hamper my plans at all.Just be sure that it doesn't take longer.Is that all?"

Duegran knew when he was being dismissed.Happy that Syldreth wasn't angry, he quickly left her chambers.

As he made his way to his office where he carried out any matters of business Syldreth told him to, he felt somewhat puzzled.Even with the Zodiac Stone, he didn't see how she planned to do what Ajora, Wiegraf, Dycedarg, Vormav, and Elmdor themselves couldn't.

***

Once again, Mustadio had spent the entire night fiddling with his work.He was pretty sure that he was getting close to making a device that would give Worker 8 his own decision-making capabilities, but every way so far had been blocked by some inconsistency in his equations.

Mustadio sighed and got out of his seat.Maybe a nighttime snack would clear his thinking and provide inspiration.

As Mustadio entered the kitchen, he was amazed to see the light of day filtering in through the windows.Ramza, Agrias, Meliadoul, Alma, Boco, and Byblos were busy with their breakfast.

Ramza noticed him and said, "Mustadio!You almost missed breakfast.Here, sit down and have some."

Mustadio obliged and began helping himself to the different food around the table."I stayed up all night again working on that stupid device!"

Ramza looked puzzled."What are you making now?A new gun or something?"

Mustadio was about to take some of the stuff Byblos was eating, then thought better of it."I'm trying to make something to put in Worker 8 to make him capable of making his own decisions.Instead of you having to tell him what to do, he'd be able to decide to do it himself.It'd be useful for when you aren't around to tell him what to do," Mustadio answered.

Ramza nodded.Mustadio decided to tell Ramza the answer to the unspoken question right now.

Mustadio cleared his throat."I'm sorry, Ramza, but I'm not going to be coming with you, at least not for a while.My dad's getting old, and his work is becoming a lot harder on him.Until he has enough money to live on, I can't go anywhere with you.You can always use my house when you need a place to stay, but that's it.Sorry," Mustadio told Ramza.

Mustadio could see that Ramza understood his position."Okay, Mustadio.In that case, farewell for now."He got up."Well, we may as well get going.Worker 8, come along."

Ramza and company got up, said their goodbyes, and left.

Mustadio finished his breakfast and began tinkering once again with his new idea.As he did, he tried to think of some way to quickly make enough money to support his father.Mustadio wanted very badly to go with Ramza, and as far as he could see, as soon as there was enough money coming in, his father wouldn't need Mustadio to work with him, and Mustadio could once again join Ramza.

***

So far, the day had been a normal day for the bartender of the most popular bar in Goug.All the usual people had come in, ordering drinks, talking to friends, or causing trouble.

The bartender was busy wiping out a glass when the door swung open, and a group of strangers walked in.The bartender had lived in Goug all his life, but he had never met these people before.He was somewhat glad of that.They were the sort of people that you could tell you didn't want to mess with.The leader, a young man, walked over to the counter, accompanied by three women a large figure wearing a cloak that completely covered him.You could see two glowing red eyes within the dark cloak staring straight ahead, never blinking.The bartender was sure that he'd seen the man's face on a wanted poster before.

The bartender took a deep breath, and asked, "Would you like something, sir?" to the leader.

The young man nodded and answered, "Some milk will be fine."

Such an order attracted some stares.The bartender felt a little relieved.Surely no one who ordered milk was going to cause trouble.

As the bartender got him his drink, the young man studied some of the propositions posted.As the man drank his milk, he conferred with his companions.

The young man addressed the bartender."We'd like to take up this job," he said, pointing at one.

The bartender looked down at the proposition paper and shook his head."I don't think you'll want that one, sir.The person who posted it is rather poor.They can't pay more than a few hundred gil for your services," he told him.

The young man didn't seem to care."We're not interested in the money, and the proposition says that people are in danger from this monster.We'll take the job."

The bartender shrugged and handed the man a packet containing information on the job.

***

Ramza stepped out of the bar, along with Alma, Meliadoul, Agrias, and Worker 8 (who was concealed in a large cloak).It was a cold, dark day.Snowflakes slowly fell, blanketing the world in white.

Ramza took a deep breath and let it out slowly.He had just signed up to join a part to defeat a large monster that had been terrorizing nearby towns.Neither Agrias nor Meliadoul had objected to it, and Ramza felt it was a worthwhile thing to do.

He helped Alma onto Boco, who was looking unhappy at being left out in the cold with only Byblos for company.Once everyone was ready, they set out for the rendezvous area for all the parties who joined.


	8. Chapter 8

(Note to Icy Brian): Please change my personal info to say that I am 18, and please include on my favorite anime shows the sho

Legal Crap: This stuff doesn't belong to me.I implore you not to sue me.

TRIALS OF THE VALIANT: CHAPTER 8 

By The RPGenius 

_ _

_One month later..._

In the dark streets of Murond Death City, another meeting of the followers of Ajora, Velius, Hashmalum, Queklain, Zarela, and Adramelk had been called.Like all the other meetings, it was little more than screaming between ambitious leaders and their men.

Duegran sat at one of the many tables, taking it all in with little interest.He took out his watch and looked at it.It would be happening in 5...4...3..2..1...

An explosion in the center of the meeting ceased all the noise as all eyes turned toward it, looking for its cause.

Duegran calmly walked over to where the explosion had just occurred.He calmly addressed all gathered.

"Since the death of our leaders, we have had no place to go and no idea of what to do.We have called 'meetings' (if you can call these screaming matches 'meetings'), but haven't been able to decide on a leader or a course of action.However, there is now one who will lead us out of this pit and onward to victory against our enemies.I've been elected to introduce this one, so I now give you our new leader: Syldreth!"

As he finished, Syldreth seemed to step out of a shadow and slowly went to stand on a table.She was wearing her cloak and hood, completely hiding all features from vision.She was accompanied by her newfound bodyguard, Worker 9.Worker 9 had been the one she had wanted to find on Nelveska, and now she had him.He was easily one of her most valuable assets.

"I will be concise.Our job is to kill Ramza and all his allies.Once we are through with them, we will take the kingdom--no, the PLANET--back from its pathetic citizens," she stated.

Syldreth's speech was interrupted by one of the hot-headed dolts who had been yelling minutes before."And why should we follow you?"

Syldreth made a movement almost too fast to see.The offending man fell over, clutching at the knife embedded in his heart.

Syldreth went back to talking to the rest."That's a good question.There are several reasons to do as I say.As your friend has discovered, if you bother me, I'll kill you."

Another hot-head spoke up."We've got over a hundred people!You can't possibly kill us all!"

Syldreth's voice held a note of amusement to it."And just how many of your soldiers are on your side?"

"What does that mean!?"

"I mean that one third of all gathered here are secretly working for me.Your 'allies' aren't as trustworthy as you think.All my soldiers: go stand over there.Let these fools see how large my operation is."

About fifty people gathered together as all the others looked on incredulously.Duegran chuckled a bit.All the waiting and planning was worth it, considering the looks on everyone's faces as their 'friends' deserted them.

Syldreth continued her speech, pointing to Worker 9."I also have my new toy to protect me.I assure you, he is quite capable of ripping your limbs off and compressing your body to the size of a golf ball, bones and all."

The masses were subdued for a moment, but then the same hot-head piped up again."You still couldn't beat us in an all out fight!We outnumber you three to one!"

Duegran took in a deep breath.Syldreth hadn't outlined what to do should this happen.The masses were supposed to obey her now, but they were still resisting her.He got ready to hide in case things went awry.

Syldreth's voice was even as she replied."There is one other thing I have going for me.Obviously, you are all unaware that Worker 9, here, cannot function with being powered by a Zodiac Stone."Here, she removed the stone from her robotic bodyguard."Does anyone know what this is?"Syldreth held out her hand.The stone of Cancer lay in her fist.

A murmur passed through the crowd.Syldreth took advantage of the momentary silence of the braggart's insolence to speak again."I am sick of trying to reason!In a moment I will transform to Sleeris, the Zodiac Monster!I will kill every single one of you.I don't need your help to accomplish any of my goals.I was simply giving you a chance to help, for those who do not help me are my enemies.I kill my enemies.I will ask one last time.Are you going to assist me, or shall I have some fun?"

The result was instantaneous.Every single person present immediately ran to where Syldreth's forces were standing.Duegran smiled to himself.Syldreth's bluff about the Zodiac Monster was perfect.Nobody even questioned her claims.

He hurried over to her.

"That was brilliant!Everything is perfect.Not even the hot-heads would dare consider going against you now!Your bluff worked beautifully," he congratulated his boss.

Syldreth lowered her hood.She was grinning, an occurrence that sent a shiver down Duegran's spine.

"That was no bluff."

Duegran stopped, his jaw dropping several inches."You aren't serious...are you?"

Syldreth let out a low laugh."I am perfectly serious.Cancer found its way to me."

"Then I am no longer in the presence of Syldreth?I am speaking to...who was it?"

"Sleeris.But no, I am still completely the same--for the most part.I can feel Sleeris inside of me--can talk to it, in fact.But I am still in control."

Duegran was having trouble taking all of this in."So you're still Syldreth...but you can be Sleeris?"

Syldreth looked like she was getting impatient from his lack of comprehension."Yes!I am Syldreth, but I'm also Sleeris!Just be glad that Sleeris has a long temper, and has thus lengthened mine.Now leave.I must form my plans further.I'm counting on you to organize this rabble," she told him as she walked off into the darkness.

Duegran took a deep breath and turned back to the people gathered.It looked like things would be getting interesting.


	9. Chapter 9

Legal Crap: I've said it before, I'll say it again

Legal Crap: I've said it before, I'll say it again. I don't own this stuff, and I request that you will not sue me.

****

TRIALS OF THE VALIANT: CHAPTER 9

__

By The RPGenius

As Duegran was organizing the forces of Syldreth, Ramza and his friends were returning to Goug after another successful job. Over the past month, Ramza and his friends had taken many jobs and helped many people. They hadn't made much money, but that wasn't the important part.

Ramza, although in a good mood, had a few concerns. Through their work, they had been able to learn the latest rumors and gossip. Ramza had two major concerns. First, no one anywhere had any clue as to the whereabouts of Orlandu. Although his letter had assured Ramza that he was fine, Ramza still would have felt better if he had some news of any kind that could indicate that Orlandu was okay.

Ramza's second worry was the rumor he had heard concerning the events in the royal castle. According to many sources, the tensions between Ovelia and Delita were continuing to rise. Ramza worried about the possibility of a split between the new rulers. Such a thing invited a new series of the Lion Wars.

He put his thoughts on hold as Alma talked to him as they made their way through the snowy streets. "Brother, is something wrong? You're awfully quiet."

He smiled and replied, "It's nothing. Just thinking about some of the rumors we heard on the last mission."

Alma nodded knowingly. "You're worried about Delita and Ovelia, aren't you?"

"Partly," Ramza conceded. "I'm also worried about what else might happen. After all, if-"

Ramza stopped abruptly as the group rounded a corner and saw a man being backed into a corner by a group of thugs.

One of the thugs spoke to the man. "Listen, buddy, we don't want much. That fancy sword and your wallet will do nicely."

The man that the thieves had decided to rob didn't agree with the proposal, and expressed his feelings on the matter by spitting in the boss thief's face. This enraged the thief.

"Damn! That's it! We'll take your money from your dead carcass! Robbins, Matilda, Ivan, get over here!" He motioned to his companions. "Time to teach this little boy that the Shrikes run the neighborhood here!"

The thief's companions, an Archer, Wizard, and Monk moved closer.

Ramza decided to intervene before the thieves' victim got hurt. "Alma, Agrias, Worker 8, Boco, Byblos, we've gotta help him!" As he unsheathed the Ragnarok, all his friends unleashed their weapons as well. Ramza, riding Boco got there first and quickly cast an Ultima spell on the Wizard. The explosion of raw power instantly blew the man to dust.

The thief boss turned and saw Ramza, along with all his friends hurrying over. "Damn! He's got friends! Alright, EVERYONE out!"

Out of the alleys and houses came several Squires, Archers, Thieves, and a few Wizards. At the top of a building a Chemist stood holding a gun.

As the thief boss turned to order his men, their would-be mugging victim suddenly swung his sword, muttering, "The doom of a planet...Crush Punch!" A powerful magic spike rose up from the ground, instantly and painlessly killing an archer. Quickly, he ran over to where Boco and Ramza were now preparing to fight.

The man parried a thief's knife while asking Ramza, "Why are you helping me, stranger? Now we are both likely to die. Either you are very noble or very stupid." He grunted as an arrow grazed his leg.

Ramza swung the Ragnarok, blocking a sword swing and taking out one of the Thieves in the process. "I don't intend to die here, and we're not as outnumbered as you think." As he ended the sentence, a powerful laser cannon beam blasted a Wizard, ending his threat. "You see? My friends are with m--AHH!" Ramza cried out, then cried out again. He looked down and saw that his leg was bleeding profusely.

Wincing, he looked around for the cause of his pain. Then he saw the Chemist on the roof of a building, holding his smoking gun.

Ramza was confused. No gun should be able to fire two blasts directly after each other. You had to reload them. He had watched Mustadio do it a million times.

A Squire brandishing an ax suddenly came up before him. Ramza had no time to defend himself, and closed his eyes, waiting for the killing blow. It did not come. Ramza opened his eyes and saw Agrias standing before him, a small smile on her face. He tried to get up to thank her, but fell down again due to his wounds. Agrias noticed this and quickly called to Alma, "Alma! Over here, quickly! Ramza's hurt!"

Alma rushed over and cast MBarrier on him. Boco also came over and used a Choco Heal on him. Ramza, after a minute, was able to stand and fight. All his companions had grouped together. They were wreaking havoc on the band of robbers.

Then he noticed the Chemist on the roof aiming. A second later, Meliadoul cried out and fell. Boco and Alma hurried over to her. Ramza realized that if they didn't get rid of that Chemist soon, they would all be facing large problems.

Agrias could tell what Ramza was thinking. "Ramza, if you could clear a path over here, I could probably take care of that Chemist," she told him.

Ramza called over Worker 8. As the robot ambled over, Ramza said, "If anyone can clear a path, it's him. Worker 8! We need a path cleared!"

Worker 8 charged forward, tossing people aside as though they were toys. Agrias and Ramza quickly followed in his path of destruction.

Ramza almost forgot to tell Worker 8 to stop once he had reached the building. The Chemist had been firing ineffectively at Worker 8. The Chemist, seeing that the small bullets did nothing to slow the lumbering giant, began to aim at Alma over in the thick of the battle. Alma had already been wounded, and this attack might very well finish her off.

Ramza knew there was nothing he could do as the Chemist brought up his weapon to fire. However, Agrias swung her sword next to him. Even from his position on the ground, Ramza could see a giant knife-like blade coming up from under the Chemist, chopping in half the gun and wounding the Chemist.

Ramza looked over in amazement at Agrias. When had she learned Hell Cry Punch?

* * *

Agrias felt Ramza staring at her. She allowed herself a smile. During the past month, she'd been training with Meliadoul. Meliadoul's Divine Knight abilities were part of a Holy Swordsman's abilities, so Agrias had figured that she might as well begin learning them.

She was somewhat relieved that she had pulled it off. She hadn't ever tried before to use the skill in combat, and she hadn't been sure it would work.

Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 made their way back to the others. The few robbers left alive had run by now, realizing that they had no chance against these ferocious fighters.

Once they had gotten back together, Ramza searched through his item packs and brought out several assorted potions. He handed them to the people who needed them.

Once that was done, he walked over to the man he had saved. Agrias followed.

The man, breathing heavily, offered his hand. "Thank you, whomever you may be. I owe you much. Permit me to introduce myself. I am Vantan the White Knight." He looked closely at Ramza, then said in a shocked voice, "Why, you're Ramza Beoulve, the heretic!"

Agrias's hand flew to her sword. Ramza and all his allies were wanted by the church. If this man Vantan was with the church, he was under orders to kill Ramza on sight.

Vantan saw her tensing for battle, and held up his hand. "I have no intention to try and kill any of you. First, you've saved my life, and death hardly seems a fitting reward for your actions. Secondly, I myself am a fugitive from the law. But tell me, how is it that you are alive? Everyone knows you're dead."

Agrias asked him, "Why are you on the run?"

Vantan looked a bit embarrassed. "You'll probably think it foolish. Until a few months ago, I was part of the Shrine Knights, as the only White Knight besides Wiegraf. I was ordered to assist in the assassination of some people who were examining the church a bit too closely. These people were only trying to do the public good, and I refused. Eventually they gave up trying to persuade me, branded me a heretic, and tried to kill me. I managed to escape, and have since been on the run from the church. I am currently trying to get an audience with King Delita. I am sure that he will help me-"

"No!" Ramza interrupted. "I know Delita. He'll use you as a gift to the church for his own gain."

Vantan frowned, looking slightly bemused. "But King Delita is a hero! He has brought peace to all the land! All people know him to be a benign, compassionate ruler. Are you saying he is otherwise?"

Agrias cut in before Ramza could speak. "Delita is a king. Don't you think he would make an angelic image of himself?"

Vantan looked a little surprised, but he seemed to understand. "You sound like you know what you speak of. But tell me, how is it that you know him? How is it that you all live?"

Agrias listened as Ramza began to explain the entire story to Vantan. She hoped that Ramza wasn't being foolish, telling a stranger all this.

It took almost an hour to explain it all. At the end, Vantan looked shocked. It was an incredible story, and not many would have believed it. However, Vantan could see that Ramza was an honest man, not given to lying.

"Truly, sir Ramza, I, and Ivalice itself, am in greater debt to you than I could ever repay." The knight knelt before Ramza. "I offer you my services, small as they are. Please accept."

Agrias knew that this was embarrassing Ramza incredibly.

Ramza stammered out, "You don't have to do that, I'm not that great. Come on, get up!"

Vantan rose to his feet. "Where are we headed?"

"We're going to Mustadio's home. He wants to see us about something. Worker 8, time to go!" Ramza called.

Ramza allowed the others to get ahead of him until he and Agrias were walking by themselves.

He cleared his throat and said, "She doesn't know it, but my sister owes her life to you. I'd like to thank you on her behalf."

Agrias nodded. "It was nothing." Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, she continued, "I've been practicing with Meliadoul lately, and I've just learned how to use that skill."

"Well, I wouldn't have guessed you'd just learned it. You used it like an expert."

Agrias fought furiously not to blush from the praise. She quickly said, "Thank you. We'd better hurry up and catch up with the rest."

As Ramza ran on to catch up, Agrias was furious with herself. What was wrong with her? She'd never much cared about praise before. Why had it mattered to her so much?

She soon caught up with the others, still confused.

__

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get up. I'm afraid I'm somewhat lazy and slow when it comes to typing. Remember, reviews are the spice of life for an author, so all reviews are welcome, besides flames. It was a review that inspired me to get this stupid typing business done with. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up soon.

The RPGenius.


	10. Chapter 10

Legal Crap: I don't own any of these people, or the game, or anything

**_Legal Crap:_** I don't own any of these people, or the game, or anything.So you really shouldn't sue me.****

**Trials of the Valiant Chapter 10**

_By The RPGenius__ _

Duegran quickly walked down the streets of Murond Death City. He was incredibly tired. Organizing everything after the chaotic sign-up had been no easy task, but that was his specialty. 

Tired as he was, he felt he had to give a report to Syldreth. Exhaustion was no excuse to shirk one's responsibilities. 

He entered her quarters. As he walked in, he felt himself lifted into the air. Squirming, he managed to turn himself around, and saw glowing red eyes peering at him. 

Syldreth, further in her chambers, called, "That's enough, Worker 9, you may put him down." 

Duegran dropped to down on the floor. He disliked Worker 9's Bodyguard program. It was not the first time this had happened, and Duegran found it painful and humiliating. 

Syldreth came to stand before him. "You have something to report?" 

Duegran got to his feet and brushed himself off, saying, "I was just going to tell you that all the soldiers are organized and awaiting your command." 

"Excellent. I have a plan to defeat Ramza. First, you must..." 

As Duegran listened, he nodded. This was a fairly good plan, if a bit complex. 

Syldreth carefully went over every detail of the plan for half an hour. Duegran had only one question. 

"Please forgive me for saying so, but this plan is rather complex, and will require a lot of careful planning. Is there no easier way?" 

Syldreth looked at him in contempt. "And how do YOU think we should do it?" 

Duegran shrugged. "Why not just send a few assassins to take care of him? Celia and Lede were hardly the only qualified Assassins in these forces. I could find some very good ones to carry out the task." 

Syldreth's voice was full of contempt. "May I remind you that Celia and Lede were Ultima Demons. The shock troops of Lucavi's armies. They were as good assassins as there could be, and they failed. They failed to stop Ramza, even when they were forced to abandon their guises of humanity and showed their true colors. How would a normal human assassin hope to succeed where they failed? And don't forget, Ramza has a Worker robot, too. A newer version, in fact. That one would certainly have a bodyguard program designed specifically to deal with such things. And finally, there is that Holy Knight, Agrias. She was one of the best bodyguards in Ivalice, for Princess Ovelia. Do you honestly not believe that she would be well trained to take care of such attacks?" 

"Well," Duegran continued, "then why not simply attack him with our full might? Not even he could fight off an army." 

The contempt in Syldreth's voice only grew. "Oh, excellent idea. Let's march an army around Ivalice. THAT wouldn't attract much attention, especially from King Delta. Don't you think he might not like an unknown army in his kingdom? We can't afford to start a war with him yet. And you don't think that once Ramza hears there's an army looking for him, he won't go into hiding? It was hard enough to determine that he's in Goug. If he goes further into hiding, we might never find him. My ambush is fine. Now, unless, you have some other piece of useless advice, you may leave." 

As Duegran walked out, Syldreth called out a warning. "Don't forget: Sleeris may have a good temper, but I don't. The next time you question my orders, it will be your last." 

*** 

Mustadio was pleased with himself. Through many hours of work, and selling some of his inventions, he had managed to raise a decent amount of gil for his father to live on for a little while. Now, Mustadio could join up with Ramza again for a little while. 

He looked out the window. He had sent a message to the tavern keeper to give the milk-drinking man: to come along whenever he had time. He hoped that Ramza had received it. 

Almost on cue, there was a loud knocking on the door. Thinking that it must be Ramza, Mustadio hurried and opened it. 

Before him stood Malak. In his arms, Rafa laid unconscious, blood flowing from a deep gash in her side. 

** * 

Ramza had gotten to Mustadio's house later than expected. He had been delayed by saving Vantan, and now it was getting dark. 

Ramza was about to knock when the door flew open. Mustadio stood before him, looking panicked. "Ramza! Thank God you're here! Give me that!" Mustadio grabbed the pouch where Ramza kept his various potions in and ran into another room. 

Ramza ran after him, confused. When Ramza entered the room, he was horrified to see Rafa lying unconscious on a couch, bleeding profusely from a huge wound in her side. Malak looked over her, fear on his face, while Mustadio poured potions on the wound. 

As everyone else entered, Ramza quickly went over and asked, "What happened? Who did this?" 

Malak turned to him, looking shocked. "We were fired from our job, so we decided to come back here and join up with you again. We figured you 'd come back here eventually, so we made our way for this house. Then, out of nowhere, some guys jumped us! They never said anything, never acted as though they wanted anything, they just attacked! We beat them, but Rafa got hurt. I thought I should bring her here, I don't know where the town doctor is." 

Mustadio turned to Malak, having used enough potions to stop the bleeding. "It looks like she's okay, but only a doctor could tell for sure. Should I get one?" 

Ramza hated these moments. These moments when, as a leader, he had to make a decision. A decision that could mean the death of a friend and comrade. 

"Yes," Ramza said reluctantly. "We just have to hope that the doctor won't recognize any of us." Ramza knew that he was risking all of their lives, but Rafa might die otherwise. He had seen enough death for a lifetime. He didn't need to see the death of yet another trusted comrade and friend. 

Mustadio turned to Malak. "Hey, Malak, you should get some rest. You don't look so good." 

Malak nodded wearily. The doctor arrived shortly, and began looking over Rafa. All Ramza and his allies could do was wait. 

* * * 

Alma couldn't stand being in the house with everyone sitting at the table, acting as though Rafa were already dead. She would live. She had to. 

Alma stepped outside. Boco, sitting patiently outside the house, warked a greeting. Alma walked around the house to the back. Boco had decided to follow her. Perhaps he was bored. 

As Alma came around the back, she saw a group of men looking for a way into the house. Seeing that they were up to no good, she tried to back away quietly, but Boco's angry wark at seeing intruders drew their attention. 

With an ugly grin on his face, one of the men, a particularly nasty-looking thief, spat and said to his companions, "Well, looky here, boys. We don't gotta search for our next kill, they came to us. Kill her!" 


	11. Chapter 11

Legal Crap: As I may have already mentioned, I don't own this stuff

**Legal Crap**:As I may have already mentioned, I don't own this stuff.Not only that, but I don't make a profit off of it.So don't sue me!

** **

**Trials of the Valiant Chapter 11**

_By The RPGenius__ _

Malak couldn't stand it. He was sitting by Rafa, and he had never felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do to help, and he felt in the way. Realizing that there was no use for his presence, he left the room and went out to the table where everyone was sitting. 

"How is she?" someone asked. Malak turned and saw a man he'd never met before. Before he could ask whom the stranger was, Ramza told him. 

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. Mustadio, Malak, this is Vantan, the White Knight. We saved him from a gang of thieves, so now he's with us." 

Vantan shook their hands. 

After being introduced, Malak answered, "The doctor thinks she'll pull through, but he's not sure." 

Malak sat with them for a moment, but abruptly got up. He couldn't stand sitting down during this. He'd much rather pace. Since there wasn't enough space inside, he went outside. 

Once outside, he stood for a moment. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed throughout the chilly night air. Malak, realizing that it had come from the back of the house, ran towards the scream. Arriving on the scene, he quickly took in what was happening. A man held Alma while another was getting ready to stab her with a knife. Two other men were desperately trying to hold a furiously thrashing Boco down. 

Not bothering to take the time to think about what to do, Malak ran in and swung his Octagon Rod down upon the man with a knife, hitting him hard enough to kill him. The other man was so surprised by this new attacker that he let go of Alma, who took the opportunity to run several feet away and cast MBarrier on Malak. 

Three more men had appeared now, and were brandishing their weapons threateningly. Seeing that two were standing next to each other, Malak cast Sky Demon Back, causing huge chunks of earth around the men to rip themselves free and slam into the bewildered men. The third man began to come forward, but before he could do anything, Byblos, who had just noticed what was happening, jumped off the roof and onto the man, ruthlessly slashing and stabbing. 

Boco had broken free of the two men's nets, and was now viciously pecking them with his beak and clawing them with the talons on his feet. 

Malak hurried over to help Boco at the same moment that Alma did, and together the three had little trouble accounting for the two men. 

The two men that had been hit by Malak's spell turned to run. Byblos lunged at them, but they managed to just dodge the furious demon and get away. 

Malak looked over at Alma. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. 

** * 

Alma was still shaking as she and Malak went back inside. 

Ramza, seeing them enter, smiled and said, "Good news! The doctor said Rafa will definitely live, though she'll need to rest for a while." He stopped and frowned. "What happened? Alma, what's wrong?" 

Malak answered for her. "She got attacked by a bunch of thugs who seemed to simply want to kill her. Luckily, Boco was with her, and Byblos and I got there shortly after. I recognized some of those guys, though. Some of them were part of the gang that attacked Rafa and I." 

Ramza was furious. "That's it! Tomorrow I'm going to find out who these bastards are and make sure that there are no repeats of this!" 

From the look on her brother's face, Alma could tell that these people, whoever they were, might soon find they'd made a powerful enemy. 

*** 

Ramza's day had been very tiring. Between saving Vantan and finding out about the attacks, Ramza's mind and body desperately needed some rest. However, there was one thing Ramza had to do first. 

He sat down next to Mustadio and said, "Mustadio, I believe you called on me to show me something. With all that's happened, I haven't been able to find out the reason you sent for me. Now, what did you want to tell me?" 

Mustadio looked up, pleased. "Great! I've been working on some stuff over the past month, and I think I've finished some great stuff!" 

He rummaged in his bag and brought out several curious-looking metal spheres. "I call these things 'Bombs', after the enemies that tend to explode. Watch!" 

Mustadio took one, ran outside, and placed it next to a rock. He lit a small rope hanging out of it on fire, then dashed back inside. 

Ramza looked at Mustadio and remarked, "It's not doing anything." 

"Just watch!" 

Ramza looked back out of the window, just in time to see the bomb explode in a fiery eruption. As the dust and smoke cleared from the explosion, Ramza saw that the rock had been reduced to pebbles. 

Ramza looked over at Mustadio, who was grinning. "That's amazing! Those things have more explosive power than their namesakes!" 

"That's not all I've got! Here, look at this." 

Mustadio pulled out a gun that looked to be of his own making. "This is a relic-like gun that I actually made myself. I made it so that it can now fire twice before reloading!" 

Ramza groaned. "Mustadio, you didn't happen to give one to anyone else, did you?" 

Mustadio looked puzzled. "Well, I gave one to a chemist for some cash. He said he was going to use it for hunting and--" 

Ramza cut him off. "That chemist nearly killed us today using one of your guns. Please, from now on, be careful who you sell things to." 

Mustadio looked embarrassed. "Oh. Sorry, Ramza. But now, with that gil, my dad won't need to work for a while, and I can go with you for a while." 

Ramza smiled. Mustadio might have been around his age, but Ramza sometimes thought of Mustadio as an eager kid, always ready for a new adventure or invention. "Great. We may need some extra muscle if we're going to go after that gang." As Ramza turned to go, he asked, "Do you have anything else to show me?" 

Mustadio nodded. "Yeah, but I think you should get some rest. I'll show you tomorrow." 

As Ramza left to go to sleep, he carefully planned out what he was going to do tomorrow. 


	12. Chapter 12

Legal Crap: I don't own any of this stuff __

Legal Crap: I don't own any of this stuff. Nor do I profit from it in any way. I will ask that you not sue me, thanks.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 13 

By The RPGenius 

Syldreth was busy sharpening her knives when Duegran entered her chambers. Without looking up, she asked, "Well?"  
  
Duegran happily informed her of the news. "Our men managed to attack Alma, which will make Ramza uncomfortable. In addition, his friends, Rafa and Malak, got attacked as well. None of Ramza's group was killed."  
  
Syldreth allowed herself a small, evil smile. "Excellent. Everything is working perfectly." Hastily, she put Cancer into Worker 9, providing the robot with a power source. "Then it is time to move the troops. You know what to do."  
  
Duegran bowed and left. Syldreth sat and reflected on how well things were going. Soon, Ramza would get his just rewards for defying Lucavi. Syldreth's original ambitions to do the task of slaying Ramza and receive praise from Lucavi were small ambitions now. Before, she had wanted nothing more than the honor of becoming an Ultima Demon, as Celia and Lede had received for such faithful assistance to Elmdore. Now, though, Syldreth had the honor of being a Zodiac Monster, one of the strongest of all Lucavi's minions! All she had to do was to kill Ramza, and then nothing could stop Lucavi's forces from taking this world someday! 

* * * 

Ramza had woken up early. He wanted to find out about the men who had attacked Rafa, Malak, and Alma, but he knew that to do so, he couldn't go around in a large crowd. Thus the necessity to go before anyone else woke up.  
  
As Ramza got ready to leave, a voice behind him startled Ramza. "Finally! I thought you'd never get up. Come on."  
  
Ramza turned to see Malak. "Malak! Don't do that! And why are you awake?"  
  
"The same reason as you. You planned to get up before everyone else and go down to the bar to see if anyone there knows something about these recent attacks, right?"  
  
"How'd you know?" Ramza asked.  
  
"Easy, I was planning the same thing. Now come on. We'd better go before anyone else gets up." 

* * * 

The usual bartender had come down with a nasty illness, so his assistant was left to oversee the bar while he was out. The assistant was delighted to be in charge.  
  
It was pretty early in the morning, but there were already quite a few citizens of Goug hanging about the tavern.  
  
As the assistant wiped the tables, two men walked in. The assistant recognized one as the milk drinker: the dangerous-looking man who always ordered milk. The other man was a colored man. The assistant went over to serve the milk guy.  
  
"Milk, right?" the assistant asked, sliding a glass of milk to the man. The colored man said, "I'd like some ale, please."  
  
The assistant sneered. "You want something to drink, you'll need to go out to a chocobo trough, boy!"  
  
Suddenly, he found himself staring at the tip of the milk guy's sword. Calmly but angrily, he spoke. "I believe my friend just asked for a drink, bigot. I suggest you give it to him. Now."  
  
Gulping, the assistant quickly did as he was told, then rushed over to wipe some tables at the other end of the bar. 

* * * 

Malak watched the racist scurry over to some tables. Malak sat and drank his ale with a disgusted look on his face. Bigots. The world was infested with them. He and Rafa had been fired by one, leading them to come back to Goug, and here was another one.  
  
Malak turned to Ramza angrily. "I could have defended myself, Ramza. There was no reason for you to intervene."  
  
Ramza calmly took a drink as he examined propositions posted on the wall. "I know you could have, Malak, but I wanted to. I thought it might be good for him to see a white person defending your rights. Don't worry, next time he's yours."  
  
Malak's anger faded. "Thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it."  
  
Malak finished his ale, and was about to go ask people about the gang of cons that had attacked he and his sister when Ramza stopped him. "Look up there, at that proposition."  
  
Malak followed his gaze and read:  
  
Gangs of killers have been wandering the streets, killing nobles and commoners alike. This must stop. We are organizing a group to storm a hideout of one of these gangs. Please join.  
D.U.Egran  
  
"Think they're talking about the same guys who ambushed you, Rafa, and Alma?" Ramza asked.  
  
"Probably. You and Vantan already took one gang of thieves out, how many others can there be? Come on, let's go back and tell everyone," Malak answered.  
  
They got up, paid for their drinks, and left. 

* * * 

Mustadio, for once, had gotten a good night's sleep. Although he had been woken much earlier than planned (thanks to Boco's strict breakfast schedule), he was pretty pleased. Soon, Ramza would come back, and Mustadio could show off his best invention to date.  
  
He began to make breakfast for everyone. They'd soon be up, if they weren't already, and would want food. His dad still wasn't going to be back for a while, so someone had to feed everyone.  
  
As Mustadio had predicted, everyone was soon up and at the table. Agrias was the last to enter.  
  
"Where's Ramza?" she asked.  
  
Mustadio shrugged. "I suppose he went to find some information, like he said he would last night."  
  
"And he went alone?" Agrias asked angrily.  
  
"Well, I think Malak went with him. Why does it matter?" Mustadio asked.  
  
Agrias scowled. "He should know better than to go out alone. He attracts trouble like a magnet! He should have taken us with him."  
  
Vantan frowned. "I am sure that he is quite capable of defending himself, from the fact that he has eluded the attempts of royalty, outlaws, the church, and even monsters to kill him."  
  
"Don't worry so much," Meliadoul added.  
  
Still scowling, Agrias sat down. "I'm not worried! I'm just being realistic. With the price on his head, he shouldn't be gallivanting around town alone."  
  
Mustadio finished making breakfast and brought everyone their food.  
  
They all stared at it for a minute. Meliadoul spoke up. "Uh, Mustadio, what exactly is this?"  
  
Mustadio looked at her, puzzled. "Toast and fried eggs. Why?"  
  
Vantan prodded his portion while addressing the engineer. "Forgive me, sir, but are you quite sure that this concoction is edible? It fails to resemble any toast or eggs I have yet seen."  
  
Mustadio was annoyed. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad! Look, Byblos likes it!"  
  
Indeed, the demon was hastily devouring his portion.  
  
Agrias pointed out the flaw in his logic. "Yes, Mustadio, but Byblos enjoys devouring pretty much anything, from Morbols to Mindflares. If you're so confident, why don't you try it?"  
  
"Fine! I will!" With that, Mustadio took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. And turned slightly greenish. He quickly got up, gathered all the plates, and set them down in front of Byblos. He then hastily excused himself. 

* * * 

Ramza and Malak entered Mustadio's house. It looked like everyone besides Byblos was done with breakfast, so Ramza wasted no time in telling them what to do.  
  
"Everyone, at noon we will be assembling at Zigolis Swamp to join a band to defeat our new enemies. Everyone but Rafa will be going. I've made arrangements with the doctor so that he will come by every now and then to check on her. So, I want you all ready to move out in half an hour!"  
  
As everyone went to get their weapons, armor, and other traveling gear, Mustadio approached Ramza. "Hey, Ramza, glad you're back. Come on."  
  
Mustadio led Ramza over to Worker 8. Opening a small compartment in the robot's chest, Mustadio attached a small device to a wire inside.  
  
He stepped away and said, "There! After countless hours of research on ancient devices and the Worker-series anatomy, I've created a device to allow Worker 8 to make his own decisions! He'll actually act like a person. Watch!"  
  
Ramza watched. And watched. After several silent minutes, Mustadio kicked the robot.  
  
"Darn it, why doesn't it work!? My calculations were perfect!" Mustadio whined.  
  
"Well, maybe it needs a little time," suggested Ramza, attempting to cheer his friend up.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe," Mustadio said dejectedly. 


	13. Chapter 13

Legal Crap: You know the deal: I don't own this stuff, and I don't profit off of it, so don't sue me __

Legal Crap: You know the deal: I don't own this stuff, and I don't profit off of it, so don't sue me.

****

__

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 13 

By The RPGenius 

Duegran waited in the swamp, nervous and annoyed with himself. What on Earth had possessed him to make Zigolis Swamp the rendezvous point? Why hadn't he written 'Town Square' or a street name on the job proposition? Ramza probably hadn't even seen it, and then this whole elaborate trap would be for nothing. 

One of Duegran's men on lookout suddenly ran over to him. "Sir! Ramza and his group are coming this way!" 

Duegran was considerably relieved. Apparently, Ramza had taken the bait. "Good! Now remember, we're all here because we're supposedly going after a gang of cons who have been attacking people. Ramza is unaware that we were the ones to hire those ruffians to cause trouble in the first place, so don't lead him to suspect that! No one is to attack Ramza and his group in any way until we arrive at the location. If there are any mistakes made, you will be killed before you know you made them. Understood?" 

* * * 

Boco was in a foul mood. He intensely disliked having to trudge through swamps. The smell and the muck always dulled his appetite, spirits, and good mood. It was hard work trudging through the swamp muck, and having a fully armored man named Ramza sitting on top certainly didn't make things any easier. 

Master Ramza also had a very annoying fault: he knew virtually nothing about swamps and bogs. Twice he had directed Boco into patches of quicksand. Thanks to Boco's hard work, he hadn't died, and probably didn't even notice that they had passed through the deadly swamp trap. 

As Boco rounded another hill, he saw a camp of humans seemingly waiting for them. Boco judged there to be about thirty humans there, and to his annoyance, no fellow chocobos. Once they had arrived, Master Ramza dismounted (to Boco's relief) and walked toward the leader. 

* * * 

Ramza walked over to the old man at the center of the camp. Strangely, he felt like everyone he passed was watching him. 

The man approached him, looking nervous about something. "Good day, sir. I assume that you're here to help against the, uh, bandits?" 

Ramza nodded, and the man continued. "Nice to meet you then. My name is Duegran. Well, shall we get going? Our enemies are in a cave, a couple days' travel from here." 

Ramza nodded and replied, "Alright, let's move out. But are you sure no one else might be coming to join us? They might just be a bit late. Maybe if we waited for them..." 

Duegran interrupted. "No! Er, I mean, nobody is coming, and we mustn't wait while people are in danger, right?" 

Ramza nodded. "Yes, you're right. Anyway, with my people, I'm sure we don't need anyone more. And you do have around thirty men here." 

Soon they were on their way. 

* * * 

Agrias was not pleased. Normally, she didn't really care who Ramza and his friends had to work with on jobs like this, but something wasn't right. They had been traveling for a full day now, and the only person who had spoken a word to Ramza or his allies was Duegran. Usually, the people performing tasks with them were talkative and friendly. 

No one else seemed to notice, however, which caused Agrias to question herself. After all, there were plenty of rude people in the world. And anyways, if they were hostile they likely would have shown it by now. 

Still, her bodyguard instincts continued to tell her that something here was wrong. She kept her guard up. 

* * * 

After 2 days of marching, they had arrived at the cave that the gang was supposed to be hiding in. It was well secluded from the prying eyes of the world. So well secluded, that Agrias wondered just how Duegran had managed to find this cave in the first place. 

The travelers stopped, all but Worker 8. Ramza had forgotten to order him to stop, and so the steel giant lumbered into the cave. He had almost disappeared altogether into the black cavern before Ramza remembered him. 

"Stop, Worker 8!" Ramza yelled, then ran into the cave to retrieve him. 

As Ramza was fetching Worker 8, Duegran yelled to the rest of Ramza's group. Agrias's fears were confirmed as he called out, "Now, Ramza and friends, you will learn the punishment for opposing Lucavi!" Turning to one of his Summoners, he yelled, "Now!" 

The giant image of Titan appeared and slammed down on the cave entrance. Ramza's allies watched in horror as the cave mouth began to fall in on itself... 

. 


	14. Chapter 14

Legal Crap: Again, I don't own this stuff in any way, except maybe for Vantan, Sleeris, Syldreth, Worker 9, and Duegran __

Legal Crap: Again, I don't own this stuff in any way, except maybe for Vantan, Sleeris, Syldreth, Worker 9, and Duegran. But, hey, to avoid a lawsuit, I'll stop owning them, too. Don't sue me.

****

__

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 14 

By The RPGenius

All of Ramza's friends watched in shock and horror as a cascade of boulders came crashing down to bury Ramza. All but Agrias. Her bodyguard instincts instantly kicked in, and she found herself running forward, jumping, and knocking Ramza and herself further into the cave, out of the way of the falling rocks. 

Agrias stood, brushed herself off, and turned to Ramza. "Are you okay, Ramza?" 

He stood up next to her. "I'm fine," he replied, "though I'm not sure I would have been without you. Thanks." 

"You're welcome," she replied. She turned to face the entrance, now completely sealed with a wall of rubble. "How do we get out now?" 

Ramza studied the new wall and said, "I could have Worker 8 drill through, but this wall could be thick enough to have him drilling for days." 

A sinister voice called out from further in the cave, "You needn't worry about getting out, Ramza Beoulve. I've worked hard to ensure that this cavern will be your grave!" 

Ramza and Agrias spun around to see a cloaked figure emerge from the darkness. Flanking the figure were about twenty people of assorted job classes and a Worker-type robot. 

The hooded leader continued. "Permit me to introduce myself. I am Syldreth, current leader of Lucavi's remaining mortal followers in Ivalice. It is now time to take revenge upon you for your crimes against Lucavi and his forces." 

Syldreth's gaze shifted to Worker 8 (who had been far enough into the cave to escape harm from the avalanche) and Agrias. "I'm sorry that you had to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Miss Oaks, but then, you were going to be killed anyway. And you, Worker 8, could be useful once reprogrammed. We shall have to see. But enough talk. Soldiers! Worker 9! Destroy them!" 

Agrias and Ramza drew their blades, and Ramza ordered Worker 8 into battle mode, but both warriors knew that against such odds, victory was a vain hope... 

* * * 

Alma turned around, ready to punish Duegran for his treachery, but stopped once she realized that two swords and a spear were pointed right at her. She could see that there was no use in trying to fight, at least at the moment. Looking around, she saw the others were in similar positions. 

Duegran quickly issued orders to his men. "Good work, everyone! Now, tie them up. We'll wait for Syldreth's orders before killing them." 

One particularly dull-looking grunt looked puzzled. "How is Syldreth going to get out of the cave with all those rocks in the way?" 

Duegran fixed the man with an icy glare. "Fool. For one with a Zodiac Stone, such barriers are meaningless." 

Alma gasped. A person with a Zodiac Stone? Ramza must have lost one! And if this person had one of the stones, perhaps they could become a Zodiac Monster. If that was true...then death was perhaps the best fate that awaited them. 

Alma's fear was momentarily forgotten when she glimpsed who was tying her up. "Vantan! You traitor! How could you, after we saved you! I don't believe you!" 

Vantan looked uncomfortable as he replied, "Please be quiet, Miss Alma." 

Once tied up, Alma was dragged over to the rest. She whispered a question to the others. "Did they miss anyone? And can any of you move?" 

Malak answered, "Boco and Byblos ran off, and I think Worker 8 is trapped with Ramza and Agrias. I don't know about anyone else, but I am very well-tied up. I'm not going anywhere for a while." 

All the others were also too tightly bound to do anything. It looked to be an unpleasant wait for this Syldreth's decision on their fates. 

* * * 

Ramza furiously blocked and parried, but with ten attackers advancing on him, he didn't know how much longer he could ward off injury. Agrias couldn't help him, busy as she was with the rest of the human attackers. 

Both Worker Robots were grappling with each other, stomping around and almost crushing their allies in their attempt to gain the upper hand. 

As Ramza barely managed to defend himself against the many different weapons seeking his life, he saw that some of the magic-users were charging up spells, and knew that once those spells were ready, his chances of surviving would be nil, if that. 

And suddenly it was too late. A Summoner called out Titan. 

The monstrous Summoning Monster slammed into the ground to cause its usual earthquake attack. As it impacted, though, the floor shattered. Ramza, who had had no idea how deep this cave might be, or how thin the floor on this level apparently was, suddenly found himself standing on air. Down into the blackness he hurled, along with Agrias, Worker 8, a Knight, and two Wizards. The last thing he saw was the hooded figure of Syldreth watching him, laughing... 

* * * 

Syldreth watched the falling figure of Ramza. She dearly hoped he'd survive the fall to wherever he was headed; Syldreth wanted the pleasure of killing him herself. 

She turned to her men. "I want every man in this cave searching for them. If you find them, don't hesitate to kill Agrias. But don't kill Ramza if at all possible. I'll do that myself." 

A Knight asked, "What about all those little monsters that we've seen in this cave? Shall we just ignore them? They hide whenever they see us." 

Syldreth shrugged impatiently. "Kill them for pleasure if you wish. Just don't let them interrupt your search." She turned to her robotic servant. "Worker 9! Stay here at the entrance. If you see Ramza, or his companions, kill them!" With that, she teleported outside the cave to check if Duegran could handle himself alone. 


	15. Chapter 15

Legal Crap: This isn't changing, you know __

Legal Crap: This isn't changing, you know. I still don't own FF Tactics, and I still don't profit off of it. Don't sue me.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 15 

By The RPGenius 

Duegran nervously waited for Syldreth. Surely it shouldn't be taking this long? Perhaps something had gone wrong. Perhaps he had been wrong, and she couldn't get out? 

His fears were dispelled when Syldreth suddenly teleported in front of him. She glanced at him and he began his report. 

"All allies of Ramza have been detained and are awaiting whatever death you choose for them. Oh, wait, I forgot. The traitorous Byblos and the chocobo have escaped, but when they come back, we'll-" 

Syldreth cut him off. "I wouldn't worry too much about them. That cowardly bird is likely halfway across Ivalice by now, and the Byblos has shown that he has no real loyalties. Now, about Ramza's foolish followers, give them a night of suspense. Then, in the morning, sink them in some quicksand. That death suits them fairly well." 

Duegran bowed. "As you wish. I will greatly enjoy exterminating those pests. But don't you want to keep the girl, Alma, alive?" 

"No. Sleeris has informed me that Ajora can no longer possess her, so she is worthless to us." 

Duegran nodded. Then, unable to contain his excitement any longer, he asked, "So is Ramza dead?" 

"Sadly, no. But I'll get him eventually. After all, he certainly can't get out of that deathtrap of a cave. Well, be sure to kill all those pathetic prisoners. I must get back to supervise the search in the cave." 

With that, she teleported, and was gone. 

* * * 

Ramza groaned. As he sat up, his arm throbbed with pain. He looked around. He was lucky to have just twisted his arm, after that fall. Looking down, he saw why he hadn't been killed: he had landed on the two wizards that had fallen with him. They would not be getting up soon, if ever. 

He looked around. The knight who had also fallen was lying nearby, in no better shape than his companions. 

Then Ramza saw the large bulk of Worker 8 on lying on the ground, and gasped with worry. His concern was not aimed at Worker 8, for the mighty machine could have fallen twice the distance with no damage. Ramza was worried about Agrias, who was lying on top of Worker 8 and bleeding profusely from the side. 

He ran over to her. "Agrias! Agrias, wake up!" he shouted, not wanting to shake her, as it might make things worse. 

She groaned and tried to sit up, then gasped in pain. "Aaaahh! I...I think I broke a few ribs, Ramza," she groaned, grimacing in pain. 

He looked around desperately for the bag of items he carried with him. He groaned when he found the bag, full of broken glass from the containers of potions, broken upon landing. The potions were puddles on the floor. Ramza managed to find an X-Potion, a Hi-Potion, and a few normal potions intact in the bag. He brought them over to Agrias, who was coughing up blood. 

"Most of the potions are gone," he grimly informed her. "I managed to find these, though. I hope they'll be enough." 

Agrias quickly drank the X-Potion and a regular potion to heal her internal bleeding while Ramza poured the rest on her side wound. As he poured it on, the wound healed and began closing up. However, the potions ran out before it was fully closed. 

Agrias looked at him gratefully. "Thanks, Ramza." She got up, wincing a little. "Ow! I don't think I'm fully healed, yet. Are you sure that's all the potions?" 

As she was easing herself off Worker 8, Ramza took a look around at his surroundings. Oddly, the cave seemed to be lit in a gloomy light. Although Ramza could see no light source, there was enough light to see by in a greenish glow. 

He looked up, trying to see how far they had fallen. It was a vain attempt, though; the cave's upper areas were too dark to perceive depth. 

Suddenly, his ears detected voices approaching. Ramza dived behind a rock to hide, and Agrias joined him. Luckily, he remembered to order Worker 8 just in time. 

"Worker 8! Hide!" 

Worker 8 hid behind a large rock, just before a Ninja and two Geomancers rounded the corner. The Ninja was talking to his companions. 

"I didn't know that jerk Ramza had a robot, too! He might be tough to get rid of. Say, do those things have any weaknesses?" 

One of the Geomancers answered. "I don't think so...I suppose that they're weak when they don't have their power source, but Ramza's got all the stones besides the one Syldreth has, so his robot's probably got plenty of power." 

"Oh, so Syldreth puts Cancer in her robot to power him? What's to stop us from getting rid of her while she doesn't have it?" the Ninja asked slyly. 

"The robot, stupid!" his other companion replied irritably. 

Meanwhile, Ramza's heart skipped a beat. He hastily checked his Zodiac Stones, and found Cancer missing. He felt Agrias glaring at him. 

"After all we went through to get those, you lost one and _DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT_!?" she whispered furiously to him. 

Ramza decided to avoid the subject. "Let's get them. They'll see us in a minute anyway, at least this way we'll have the element of surprise. Ready...attack!" 

He jumped out and buried the Ragnarok in one of the Geomancers. The other Geomancer was too surprised to react, but the Ninja charged Ramza, his ninja swords drawn. Agrias stood and swung her weapon, calling out, "Heaven's wish to destroy all minds...Holy Explosion!" 

The Ninja was enveloped by blinding light. When the light cleared, he was little more than an ash pile. 

The remaining Geomancer was about to attack when a well-placed punch from Worker 8 sent the man flying into a wall. 

Agrias walked over to Ramza. "Well, we'd better get going. The longer we stay, the more enemies we're likely to encounter," she said, gasping. 

Ramza could see that, in her weakened state, the Holy Explosion had taken a lot out of her. "Okay, but first I want to rest a minute. That battle tired me out," he lied. From Agrias's scowl, she obviously knew that he was making her rest for her sake, not his, but she agreed and sat down. 

Ramza took the resting time to try to decide which direction to take. They could be stuck in here for days, weeks, months...forever... 


	16. Chapter 16

Legal Crap: Ho, hum, still don't own it, still don't profit off of it, still don't want to be sued

Legal Crap: Ho, hum, still don't own it, still don't profit off of it, still don't want to be sued.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 16 

By The RPGenius 

Byblos was having problems. This idiot chocobo didn't seem to have a single intelligent thought in its empty head. 

"(Master Ramza! Mistress Alma! We have to go back and save them!)" he warked, idiotically running around in circles. 

Byblos growled out a response in Chocobo tongue that was, by his standards, polite. "(You moron, how much of a chance do you think we'd have against all those foes!? None! It ought to be obvious, even to you, you bird-brained buffoon!)" 

Boco, ignoring his words, continued to run frantically in circles, warking loudly. 

Byblos began to lose his temper. This time, he spoke in the human language. "All we have to do is bide our time and--" 

He stopped when he realized the stupid bird wasn't listening. Honestly, he had given up a high position under Lucavi for this? Working with chocobos? Byblos almost wished he were still with Lucavi's bunch. At least Zodiac Monsters and demons had been intelligent enough to hold a conversation with. 

No, that was a lie. He didn't wish he were back there. He had left for good reasons, and he owed Ramza a lot for saving him from Elidibs and the rest of the demonic forces pursuing him. He owed Ramza his life, and he planned to pay that debt off. 

But this idiot bird wasn't helping him pay it off any faster. 

Byblos tried for a few minutes to converse with Boco. Then, all shreds of patience lost to him, he hit Boco over the head. That got the thick-skulled turkey to listen. 

"Now, as I was saying," Byblos growled in human tongue, "All we have to do is bide our time until the right moment to strike! I want to save Ramza's friends just as much as you, but we need to plan this carefully! Now, is that plan okay, or is it too complex for your pathetic excuse for a mind?" 

Boco warked indignantly and pecked Byblos. "Good. Glad you understand," Byblos muttered. 

* * * 

Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 had spent the last hour or so stumbling around the cave, trying to find a way out. There had been quite a lot of small battles with sentries of Syldreth's in the cave, but all had ended in victory so far. 

Agrias was in a bad mood. Every time they had gotten in a fight, Ramza afterwards would insist that they rest before going on. Agrias knew that he was concerned for her, but such concern just irritated her. How were they ever going to get out if they stopped every time she got short of breath? 

Not that she was ungrateful. His concern was touching, and she did appreciate it. She just felt that it wasn't efficient to spend so much time resting, and she instinctively preferred to be the protector, rather than someone else worry about her. 

Agrias suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. Wincing, she looked down and saw that her wound had re-opened and was beginning to bleed again. She gritted her teeth and continued to walk. If she told Ramza, he'd just get worried and insist that she rest again, which wasn't going to help for this. 

Ten minutes later, she collapsed. 

* * * 

Ramza looked over at Agrias just as she collapsed. He rushed over and kneeled down next to her. He saw that her side wound had opened again. 

"Agrias! Are you okay?!" he asked. 

Her eyes fluttered open. "Uh...oh, hi Ramza," she said weakly. "I guess I must have tripped on something--" 

Ramza interrupted. "No, you didn't, you're hurt! Now lie there for a while, and don't bother to argue!" 

He looked through his bags again, trying to find a potion of some sort that he had overlooked the last time. 

Suddenly, he had an idea. Turning to Worker 8, he asked, "Worker 8, you wouldn't happen to have some sort of healing program or something, would you?" 

Worker 8 turned towards Ramza. "Yes, I am equipped with such a program, Master," he replied. 

Ramza looked at the robot, slightly annoyed. "Well, why didn't you say anything about it before?" he asked. 

"You have never inquired about it before, Master," came the reply. 

Ramza sighed in frustration. Sometimes Worker 8's lack of initiative and thought made him very annoying. "Well, would you use your healing methods on Agrias, please?" 

"Affirmative." Worker 8 ambled over to Agrias,. His eyes changed to green, and a soft glow emanated from them. "Preliminary scans indicate a need for approximately eight hours of healing." 

Agrias tried to sit up to protest. "Ramza, we don't have time for this. What if some more of Syldreth's soldiers come while I'm helpless and Worker 8 is busy healing me? They'll probably overwhelm you, and I'll be in no position to help you. I'm fine, really." 

Ramza could not help but smile slightly at this. "Agrias, you are in no condition to help me anyway. Now please, settle down and rest. See if you can get some sleep; you'll need to be in good condition when Worker 8's done." 

Worker 8's eyes shined, and a green light emanated from them onto Agrias. 

Agrias sighed a bit reluctantly, but Worker 8's healing program seemed to make her sleepy anyway, so Ramza received little real argument about it. "Okay, Ramza. But wake me up if you get into a fight!" 

Ramza smiled in spite of himself. "Okay. Have a nice sleep." He got up, but Agrias continued talking. Murmuring more than talking, really. Ramza had the feeling that she had little idea that she was even still awake. 

"I'm sorry if I've been hard to get along with, Ramza...really do...appreciate...your...concern..." With that, she began lightly snoring. 

Ramza yawned. He would have liked to be sleeping, too, but he had to stay on alert in case of attack. He had his duty to protect Agrias while she rested, just as it was his duty to protect all his friends. However, he suddenly felt like there was...more...than just duty this time. A little like the way he felt when he was protecting Alma... 

He shook his head. He was probably just tired, that was it. He wondered what time it was. Perhaps it was nighttime. 

He wondered if Alma and his friends were okay. He didn't know if they could have taken all the enemies who had ambushed them. He was really worried about his friends... 


	17. Chapter 17

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 17 

Legal Crap: Okay, once again, I do not own this stuff, nor do I profit off of it. So, honestly, you shouldn't sue me.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 17 

By The RPGenius 

Outside of the cave, Ramza's captured allies had spent a very unpleasant night. It had been a cold and damp, and none of their enemies had felt the sympathetic need to share a fire with them. 

Malak struggled once again to break his bonds. Once again, his efforts brought no reward. He sat back and watched the sun rise slowly, a bleary orange-gray hue through the clouds. 

He turned and saw that Alma was once again concentrating. All through the night, Alma had kept trying to come up with ideas on how to break the ropes holding them, but each idea ended in futility. Still, she refused to give up. 

Alma opened her eyes, sighed, and asked once more, "Doesn't ANYONE have ANYTHING sharp enough to break these ropes?" 

Meliadoul lost her temper. "NO! For the final time, no! We don't have anything we can use to get out of these ropes, and even if we did, we wouldn't even be able to get it out of our pockets! Think of something else, this is the fourth time you've asked!" 

Malak defended Alma. "Settle down, Meliadoul. At least she's coming up with some ideas. No one else has thought of anything all night. Well, besides Mustadio..." he trailed off. 

Mustadio looked up, spitting out pieces of rope. "You wouldn't believe how bad this stuff tastes! Tastes a little like my breakfast, actually. But I've got good news! I'm halfway through!" he said loudly. A guard heard this, and tied him up with another piece of rope. 

Malak sighed and closed his eyes. There was just no way around it: they'd been caught, and there wasn't anything they could do about it. 

After a moment, someone kicked him savagely. He opened his eye and saw a guard. 

"Up on your feet, you lot. You're to march down to the quicksand pits to be executed," the guard said, cutting the ropes around their ankles. 

Malak considered running, but realized that it was pointless. If they didn't shoot an arrow through him, they'd quickly overtake him and force him to come with them. 

The leader, Duegran, walked over to the prisoners. "Well, what a lovely day for a walk in the swamp. Hope you don't mind a quick jog in the quicksand pits." 

He turned to his soldiers. "I want fifteen to come with me! The others stay and await further orders from Syldreth!" He turned and began to lead the way to the pits. 

Malak saw that Vantan had been selected as one of the fifteen who would oversee their deaths. Malak just wished he had one good hand free to wring the traitor's neck. 

* * * 

Ramza was in a bit of trouble. After hours of peace, someone had found him. Agrias still asleep and healing. Worker 8 was still healing her. So Ramza was going to have to face the Chemist, Squire, Samurai, and Time Mage that had just arrived by himself. 

"Come on!" yelled the Samurai to his companions. "He's alone!" 

The Time Mage started charging a spell. Ramza ran forward to eliminate him first, but was blocked by the Chemist. Ramza plunged his sword into the Chemist's chest, killing him instantly. Unfortunately this gave the Time Mage enough time to cast Haste on the Squire and Samurai. 

Ramza whirled around to meet their attack and just barely missed being chopped by the Squire's ax. The Samurai moved towards Ramza with incredible speed, thanks to the Haste spell, and slashed Ramza viciously with his katana. Ramza winced out in pain, but managed to counter with a thrust of his own, wounding the Samurai. 

Ramza prepared to finish the Samurai when he was suddenly smashed over the head. Ramza had completely forgotten about the Time Mage, and had gotten a nasty blow for that mistake. Ramza gritted his teeth, spun around, and slashed with such force that the Time Mage never had time to even scream. Ramza turned to face the Squire and Samurai, but knew that he had no chance, weakened as he was. Even if he did manage to win, he might die from his current wounds. 

The Squire stepped forward, grinning triumphantly. She raised her ax to deliver the final blow, and-- 

Was utterly destroyed by a Holy Explosion. Agrias stood before Ramza, her Rune Blade drawn and ready. 

The Samurai dashed forward, but his blade was blocked by her shield. She slashed him, and he fell dead on the ground. 

Ramza, breathing hard, managed to gasp, "Thanks, Agrias." 

She helped him to his feet. She looked at him angrily. "Didn't I tell you to wake me if you needed help? If I hadn't finished healing when I did, you'd be dead," she said angrily. 

Ramza made his way over to the dead Chemist, and used the potions he found in the Chemist's bag on himself, healing his wounds. 

He turned to Agrias. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you until you were fully healed, so I had to fight alone. I couldn't just run off and leave you undefended," he told her. 

Agrias replied gruffly, "Well, don't worry about protecting me. I'm much better at protecting you than the other way around. I was a bodyguard, remember? Now come on, let's get moving. My healing cost us several hours." 

With that, they continued searching for a way out. Worker 8 automatically traced their path, and drew maps of where they had been, thus making it easier to find a way out. Ramza just hoped that there actually was one... 


	18. Chapter 18

Trials of the Valiant

Legal Crap: I don't own anything here. I'll be annoyed if you sue me.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 18 

By The RPGenius 

After an hour of marching, Ramza's friends had been lead to the quicksand pit. As they stood dismally, Duegran could not resist rubbing it in with a small victory speech. 

"You all had the chance to give up, and some of you have even had the opportunity to join the winning side, but you passed each chance up. Now you stand before me, and now you shall receive your punishment for opposing us! And the first to receive such punishment shall be you, Alma Beoulve!" he said, grinning uglily at her. 

Alma raised her head defiantly and replied, "At least I'll get to escape your self-important posturing first!" 

Duegran's grin faltered with anger for a moment, but then resumed with increased joyful malevolence. "Just for that little remark, Miss Beoulve, you shall have a worse time. You shall be stabbed before being thrown in--one death is too good for you! Bring her to face the pit!" 

Two Knights grabbed her and brought her forward to face the quicksand pit. She stood stoically, with neither begging nor tears. Ramza's friends looked on in despair. 

Alma glanced in back of her to see who would be stabbing her. Her face twisted into an expression of contempt as she saw that it was none other than Vantan. She turned away in disgust, not wanting to see the loathsome traitor's face. 

She heard the whistle of his sword, and was amazed as it ignored her and severed her bonds, then turned and swung down to cast Lightning Stab on the two nearby Knights, killing one and mortally wounding the other. 

Alma turned to him, amazed. She stammered, "But, but I thought you were with them?" 

"STOP THEM!!!" Duegran screamed. As all his lackeys ran to kill them, Vantan turned to Alma. 

"Can you possibly hold them off for just a few seconds while I go free the others?" Vantan said urgently. 

Alma gripped her staff tightly and nodded. Vantan ran over to the companions as Alma turned to face the thirteen enemies running for her. She didn't feel extremely hopeful about beating them herself, but maybe she could hold them off until Vantan freed all the others. 

Maybe. 

* * * 

"Ramza," Agrias asked, "is it just me, or is it getting lighter?" 

Ramza had to physically jerk himself awake. He, Agrias, and Worker 8 were walking down a long tunnel of the cave. Ramza, however, had been more sleepwalking than actually walking. Agrias's voice had shaken him from his subconscious. 

Cursing himself for giving in to exhaustion, Ramza looked about and noticed that the cave was, indeed, better lit here than it had been before. 

Ramza looked about, but could still see no source for the light that seemed to be present everywhere in the cave. "You're right, it is brighter. I still can't understand what causes it, though." 

Agrias shrugged. "Well, it seems to be getting longer as we travel down this particular corridor, so maybe we're getting closer to the source of it," she suggested. 

Ramza nodded wearily and they continued on. Ramza struggled to remain alert, but the many hours of being awake and ready for attack were taking their toll. He needed rest badly. 

But he resolutely said nothing as they continued marching down the long corridor. No need to alert Agrias to it, and anyway, what was to be done, one way or another? They could not very well just stop and take a nap right here; it would be too easy for enemies to find them and kill them. No, he would simply have to stay awake until they found their way out... 


	19. Chapter 19

Legal Crap: I do not own this stuff 

Legal Crap: I do not own this stuff. Honestly, how many ways am I supposed to indicate that I do not wish to be sued?

__

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One review I got asked for Ramza's job class. Ramza is a Squire, because 1. It's too confusing, I think, to give him any Job Class other than what's natural for him (what if I made him a Lancer/Chemist, or made Mustadio a Chemist/Mediator, or gave everyone random jobs like I did in the game? Far too confusing!), and 2. Squire, for Ramza, is a special Job Class because he gets to learn Ultima and four other unique powers for that Job Class, so it makes sense. I hope that clears some things up.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 19 

By The RPGenius 

Duegran could not believe that this was happening. Alma was free, and her friends soon would be, too. Duegran was sure that his troops would win the battle, but he would suffer losses in the process. Syldreth would be extremely displeased at that. 

Duegran watched the battle unfold. A fast Squire reached Alma ahead of the other soldiers. The Squire brought his axe down in a sweeping chop at Alma, but she quickly and expertly swung up her staff, catching the Squire's arm and knocking the axe out of his hand. Before the surprised Squire could react, Alma swung her staff upwards, connecting with his head. The Squire went head-over-heels and landed on his back, unconscious. 

Duegran gritted his teeth. Still, most of what had happened there was luck, and she wouldn't stay lucky for long. 

His spirits lifted as he saw two Geomancers moving in on Alma. The annoying girl would have no chance against them. 

There was a sudden yellow blur that came from over a hill. It raced towards a Geomancer, knocking the man down. Instantly, the yellow blur was on top of him, thrashing. It was a chocobo pecking, clawing, and warking angrily. 

Duegran looked over at the other Geomancer, who was at that moment knocked down by Byblos, who had been riding on Boco's back. The Byblos ripped and tore at the Geomancer savagely. 

Duegran would have begun worrying, but he then saw that the rest of his soldiers, Knights, Lancers, Samurai, and a Squire, had reached Alma and were about to take care of her once and for all. 

Duegran suddenly heard several voices call out at once. 

"Lightning Stab!" 

"Asura Back!" 

"Icewolf Bite!" 

Duegran's troops were suddenly hit by a blast of fire, bolts of lightning, and a large spike. At the same time, two gunshots sounded off. Ramza's allies had been freed. 

When the dust cleared from the attacks, Duegran could see that only four of his men remained alive. Those four were easily accounted for as Ramza's friends arrived to aid Alma, Boco, and Byblos. 

Duegran shook with fear as he watched the grim-faced fighters turn his way. He turned and ran about five paces before he realized that he had stepped into a quicksand pit... 

* * * 

Alma turned to Vantan. "Thanks, Vantan. I suppose you really are on our side?" 

Vantan smiled. "All of you saved my life. How could I ever betray the noble people who saved me from those thieves--" 

He was suddenly bowled over as Boco attacked him. Vantan struggled to get up from under the furious chocobo attacking him. 

Alma ran to stop him. "Boco, please stop! He's not really an enemy!" 

Boco stopped in mid-peck and looked at her inquisitively, cocking his head to one side. "Wark?" 

Vantan got to his feet, brushing himself off. 

Alma turned to Vantan. "Now, what were you saying?" 

Vantan resumed his explanation. "As I was saying, before being knocked down by some demented bird--" Boco warked indignantly--"I didn't act as if I was with you because they would have captured me, too. Since nobody has seen me working with Ramza before, they wouldn't suspect me. I couldn't set you free until we had a chance of winning. Duegran had only brought along fifteen of his soldiers, so I believed this to be the best time to spring to action. I hope you can find it within you to forgive me." 

"There's no need to ask for forgiveness, Vantan. You had a good reason for your actions," Alma reassured the White Knight. 

She turned to the rest of the group. "All right, everyone, let's get back to the cave. We need to get in and save Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8. If we have to, we'll fight our enemies, but for now, we should approach the cave carefully and quietly. We don't need unnecessary conflicts. Let's go," she ordered them. 

As they got ready to go, and Alma got on Boco, she realized that that had felt good. It wasn't that she enjoyed bossing them around. No, it was more that giving orders, having people pay attention to her and respect her...it felt as though someone was finally seeing that she was an individual. 


	20. Chapter 20

_Legal Crap_: Unless I'm mistaken somehow, I don't own this stuff and shouldn't be sued.

**__**

**_Trials of the Valiant Chapter 20_**__

_By The RPGenius_

Ramza was beginning to suspect that this tunnel had no end. The farther he, Agrias, and Worker 8 went, the brighter the tunnel became. By this time, the tunnel was as light as day. 

Ramza was practically falling over from exhaustion, and his feet were throbbing with pain. Yet, painful as his feet were and tired as he was, he found that he didn't entirely mind this experience as much as he would think he would. 

This puzzled him, naturally. What could possibly be enjoyable enough about this experience that he wouldn't mind wandering in a deep cave, hopelessly lost, pursued by unknown numbers of enemies, and in sore need of rest? 

Ramza glanced over at Worker 8, who was silently walking along. The robot was getting annoying as time went on. Often, as the tunnel curved abruptly, the robot would continue to walk in a straight line, crashing into the wall and continuing to mindlessly try to go forward until Ramza verbally commanded him to do otherwise. Although Worker 8's strength and power in battle easily made up for the problems he caused outside of battle, it was still irritating to have to continue to command him in his every action. Yes, Worker 8 had certainly not made this little adventure any more enjoyable. 

Ramza looked over at his other traveling companion and smiled slightly. With all she had on, Agrias had to be just as fatigued as he, but she hadn't yet complained or asked to rest once. No matter how much she might be suffering, she never let herself show it to anyone else, always insisting on keeping up the image of strength and endurance. Sometimes, Ramza wished that she would be more open with her feelings. Her insistence on keeping them locked up inside her to prevent worry only backfired, for Ramza worried more about not knowing her condition than he would if he knew how badly she was tired or hurt at times. Still, it was good for morale for her to continue to be a strong, steady, dependable ally, and Ramza deeply appreciated that. 

Yes, Ramza reflected, Agrias certainly did have many good qualities. She was totally loyal, trustworthy, honorable, and even kind, in her own way. She had a steady, indomitable air about her in whatever she did, commanding respect from all that knew her. 

Perhaps, Ramza reflected, he didn't dislike this whole experience because he knew that no matter what happened, he had a steady, reliable companion with him who would never let him down. 

Somewhere in the back of Ramza's tired mind, nearly unregistered by his conscious thoughts, Ramza noted the fact that he and Agrias, what with one crisis after another and a troop of people traveling with them, rarely got to spend much time alone like this. This small corner of his mind noted this fact with some regret. 

"Ramza? Are you okay?" Agrias asked him, shaking him out of his thoughts. 

Ramza shook his head to try to clear his fatigue. "Yeah, I just zoned out for a little while. This tunnel just seems to go on forever, doesn't it?" 

Agrias agreed as Ramza silently chastised himself. He should be paying less attention to thinking and more attention to where he was. Regardless of a lack of sleep, he needed to stay awake and alert. If an attack should come, he needed to have all his wits about him. 

* * * 

Malak crouched on top of the hill overlooking the cave's entrance. He and the others counted a score of enemies below, guarding the blocked cave. 

Malak voiced the question running through everyone's mind. "How do we get rid of them? There's way too many to take by ourselves." 

"Let's rush them and hit them before they can figure out what's going on! We'd have the element of surprise on our side," Meliadoul suggested. 

Vantan shook his head. "I fear that your plan is flawed, Meliadoul. There are far more of them than there are of us, and surprise would only give us a few moments of advantage. We would be overwhelmed!" 

Meliadoul looked at Vantan angrily. "We've survived considerably worse odds than these before. You underestimate our power because you haven't seen us in combat." 

Alma looked as though she wanted to say something, but did not voice her opinion as Meliadoul and Vantan bickered. 

Malak saw this and interrupted the quarrel. "Settle down, you two! Alma has something to say!" 

Alma gave Malak a grateful look. She cleared her throat and started talking. "Vantan's right, surprise wouldn't work." 

Vantan's smug look was cut off as Alma continued, "But he's wrong when he says we can't win because our foes outnumber us. I believe we're strong enough to overcome them in battle." 

Meliadoul snapped, "You're contradicting yourself! If we can beat them using surprise, then why don't we?" 

"Let her talk, Meliadoul, she wasn't finished!" Malak told her. 

Meliadoul's eyes flashed, but she said nothing. 

Alma continued, "The reason a surprise attack wouldn't work is that I see three ninjas down there. Ninjas are so fast in combat and so used to using sneak attacks themselves that it's nearly impossible to successfully ambush them. They'll almost always hear you coming before you get to them, and even if they don't, their reaction and speed during combat makes whatever surprise you have on them almost useless. If we were to attempt a sneak attack, they'd likely discover us coming and warn the others, and even if we got there without them knowing, they'd be ready to fight immediately and keep us from attacking any other foe until they had recovered from any shock we created." 

The others just sort of stared at her for a moment. 

"How do you know so much about combat? Even Ramza rarely knew that much about his enemies' strengths and weaknesses when he planned attacks!" Malak asked, impressed. 

Alma blushed at everyone's stare and looked down. "There were a lot of books in the monastery that I lived in with Ovelia for a while. This sort of thing always interested me, so I read a lot of books on combat in my spare time," she said. 

"So what do we do?" Mustadio asked, scratching his head. 

"Well...I have a plan..." Alma said hesitantly. Her friends sat and looked at her expectantly, so she began to outline it to them. 

* * * 

Agrias was rarely impressed. Now, however, she could only look on in awe at the sight before her. 

She, Ramza, and Worker 8 had reached the end of the tunnel. The large, cavernous room they had walked into was not incredible, but what was in it definitely was. Shelves and shelves, piles and piles, boxes and boxes of large, glowing crystals were everywhere. The light they gave off was incredible. 

Shielding his eyes, Ramza remarked, "Well, this explains where all the light comes from. Say, Agrias, are those-" 

She nodded, saying, "Yes. They look like Spirit Crystals to me. But who put them all here? And who were they all when they were alive?" 

Ramza shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I just hope that it's not some monster that stores the souls of all the people it's killed." He yawned. "Agrias, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted, and the thought of going back down the eternal tunnel because this room is a dead end does not make me happy. I suggest we take a rest before going back." 

Agrias was extremely tired herself. However, she couldn't let him go to sleep unguarded. "Okay, you take a rest, and I'll keep watch," she told him. 

"No, Agrias. You take a rest, too. You're just as tired as I am. Don't try to deny it." 

Agrias appreciated his concern, but he was overlooking one important fact. "What if one of Syldreth's men finds us? They'll easily capture us." 

Ramza patted Worker 8 on the back. "No problem. Worker 8, while we're sleeping, keep your sensors operating. If a person comes within 100 feet of us, wake Agrias and me up." 

"Affirmative, Master." 

Agrias still disagreed with it, but eventually her exhaustion won out and she lay down near Ramza. 

After a few minutes, Ramza spoke. "Agrias? I don't mean to pry, but why did you decide to stay with us? I know you told me some reasons before, but I don't really think they're the real reason why you don't go back to being Ovelia's bodyguard, or simply just starting a new life." 

Agrias had been thinking a lot about this, but she still did not have an answer. "I...don't really know. There are lots of reasons for me to stay with you and your group, but none of them are the real reason. I wish I knew the answer myself." 

Ramza was quiet for a few minutes, then said, "Well, I'm glad you're here. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be here. By the way, thanks for saving my life over and over recently." 

"No need to thank me. I'm just doing my job," she answered gruffly. 

Agrias wouldn't have thought it possible to fall asleep in a room so bright, but she underestimated the power of fatigue. A few minutes later, she was asleep. 

* * * 

Kupop waited a few minutes, then jumped out from behind a pile of Spirit Crystals that he'd been hiding behind. Gripping his homemade spear tightly, he cautiously approached the two sleeping intruders. 

Kupop was so intent on watching them that he accidentally bumped into their large, gray monster-thing. It took no notice of the small, white-furred creature that had collided with it. Kupop's small pink wings relaxed a little when he saw that the large creature was not interested in him. Kupop walked over to the two slumbering people. 

No doubt about it. They were some of the same nasty things that had recently invaded the cave and caused so much trouble for Kupop's people. Kupop dashed off to alert his chief of this. 

Soon these two trespassers would pay dearly for entering the Moogle Holy Grounds! 


	21. Chapter 21

_Legal Crap_: Not much has changed, since I still don't own this stuff, I still don't profit off of it, and I still don't expect to be sued.

**_Trials of the Valiant Chapter 21_**__

_By The RPGenius_

Gurfastus, the Knight who had been left in charge of Duegran's men outside the cave, was getting a little nervous. Why hadn't Duegran come back yet? Surely the executions couldn't take this long? 

Gurfastus paced back and forth within the camp. As he passed by a large boulder, his sharp ears heard a low, angry wark of a chocobo from behind the rock. Then, a bit louder, someone shushing it. 

The Knight, knowing better than to take chances when the slight possibility that his enemies had escaped existed, rushed over to the three Ninjas under his command. "You three, there's someone behind that rock. Sneak up on them and capture them!" 

Obedient if confused, they moved quietly and quickly toward the rock. Before they got there, though, Alma Beoulve dashed out on a chocobo and began running away, no doubt having seen that she had been discovered. 

Gurfastus shouted to his surprised Ninjas, "Well, don't just stand there, you fools! Go after them!" 

Confused, one Ninja asked, "How are we supposed to catch up to a chocobo?" 

"Fool, didn't you see that it had a limp? You'll be able to catch it easily! Now, GO!" he shouted impatiently. 

The Ninjas ran off in pursuit as Gurfastus allowed himself a small smile. Whatever she might have been planning, it was ruined now. 

* * * 

Ramza woke to something sharp poking his back. Still mostly asleep, he simply mumbled, "Boco, it can't be breakfast yet..." 

He felt another, more determined prod, and awakened to a semi-conscious state. "Agrias, let me sleep and stop poking me with your sword!" 

This time, the jab was definitely not gentle. Fully awake, he turned over, saying, "Okay, okay! I'm up, I'm--huh?" 

He was surrounded by spears. Looking beyond the crude-but-efficient blades of them, he saw that he was surrounded by strange little creatures. They were covered in short, whitish-fur ranging in shades from beige to newly fallen snow. Their beady little eyes resembled black marbles. They had small, pink, bat-like wings attached to their backs, though Ramza doubted that these wings could hold their owners aloft for any extended amount of time. Each one came up to about Ramza's waist. 

He saw that Agrias was in a similar position. She looked extremely angry, and Ramza knew that any minute she was likely to begin laying waste to these small things. 

"Wait, Agrias. They haven't done anything yet, and they outnumber us twenty to one. Maybe we should see what they want." He turned to one of them. "Hello. I don't know if we've offended you in some way, but--" 

"Kupo! Kupo kupoho kupog!" one of them shouted, pointing his spear from Ramza to Agrias. 

"Do...any of you speak my language?" Ramza asked. 

One of them, apparently the leader, prodded Ramza with his spear. "Kupa kupopo! Kupo!" 

Ramza couldn't understand the words, but it was fairly obvious from the spear motions that the little things wanted him to march somewhere. He and Agrias began to walk. Ramza noticed that their small captors were having trouble moving Worker 8. Hey had tied many ropes around him and were trying to drag him along. 

Needless to say, they were showing little success. 

Ramza decided to help them out (mostly because, wherever he was going to be lead, he wanted Worker 8 there with him). "Worker 8! Follow me!" 

Worker 8 began to stride forward. The little creatures pointed their spears threateningly at him, though the robot paid them no heed. Seeing he wasn't attacking, the creatures relaxed a little. A very little. 

Having done that, Ramza was curious that that his captors were leading him to the back wall of the room, rather than the only visible exit, the way he had come in. 

The small leader went up to one of the walls and hit it three times. He proceeded to say, "Kupo kupa kupoo!" 

The wall seemed to open up before Ramza's eyes, revealing that the 'wall' was no more than an artificial illusion masking its actual identity: that of a large door. 

* * * 

Boco thought he had way too hard a part in this plan. He had to run just slow enough to allow the Ninjas to keep up, but just fast enough to stay out of range of their throwing weapons. On top of that, he had to pretend to have a limp, and then lure the Ninjas into a pit of quicksand without actually falling in himself. That was an awful lot to expect from one chocobo! 

Still, this plan was a good one. While Boco and Alma lured the Ninja's away, the rest of their allies would attack the rest of their foes outside the cave. Without the Ninjas there, they would have a much better chance to achieve victory. Still, a fight against a score of foes would not be easy. 

"There are the quicksand pits, Boco! Be careful!" Alma shouted. 

Boco warked an affirmative. Gathering his strength, he leapt straight over the quicksand pit. It wasn't easy, but he managed to clear it (thank goodness Mistress Alma didn't wear all the heavy armor that Master Ramza did!). Landing, though, was a problem. Normally, he would be able to land fairly well, but his passenger threw off his balance and landing calculations. 

As a result, Boco went sprawling head-over-heels on the ground, accidentally throwing Mistress Alma off his back. Boco realized that this was actually beneficial to the plan--his enemies would think that the limp had caused the bad landing and that they now had they prey where they wanted them. 

Mistress Alma and Boco watched the Ninjas run into the quicksand and slowly disappear within the muck. 

After a moment of silence for her fallen foes, Mistress Alma said resolutely, "Well, that worked well. Come on, let's go join the others." 

Boco ran off with Mistress Alma on his back toward the camp. 

* * * 

Gurfastus was confused and panicked. Practically moments after his Ninjas had left to pursue Alma Beoulve, her allies had descended in a destructive wave on his forces, creating confusion and chaos as they decimated their unprepared foes. Where had they come from? How had they managed to escape Duegran, and where was he now? Surely they couldn't have defeated him? 

Gurfastus did not have much time to ponder these questions, though, for he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of Vantan's Crush Punch... 


	22. Chapter 22

_Legal Crap_: You know the drill, and if you don't, refer to the _Legal Crap_ section of one of the previous 21 chapters.

Author's Note: Well, these recent three chapters certainly took a while to upload…my sincere apologies to all (if anyone) who might have been waiting for them.  Of course, I might be inspired to work faster if I got lots of reviews (**Hint, Hint!**).

**Trials of the Valiant Chapter 22**

By The RPGenius 

As she and Ramza marched along, Agrias suddenly realized where she had seen their captors. 

"Ramza...don't these little pests look like Mohgri, the Summoning Monster?" she remarked. 

Ramza snapped his fingers. "That's right! I've read a few legends about a small creature that once existed in Ivalice: the Moogle. Supposedly, they were all brought to extinction during one of the ancient wars, when their coats were prized for their warmth during long marches through the colder parts of Ivalice. Mohgri's the only Moogle anyone's seen for centuries." 

Having finally figured out what these things were, Ramza began to berate Worker 8. 

"Say, Worker 8, do you recall me saying something about alerting me if someone came close to us?" 

"I do, Master." 

"Well, then, perhaps you could enlighten me as to the reasoning behind your failure to tell me about these moogles until they surrounded us?!" Ramza asked in a calm-but-extremely-ticked-off voice. 

"You specified to wake you if a person came within sensor range. Moogles do not fall under the category of people." 

Agrias rolled her eyes. When would Ramza learn that Worker 8 was unreliable to be trusted to do anything more than fight? 

Ramza shot a murderous look at Worker 8. Agrias attempted to calm him down. 

"Ramza, we've been in situations that were a lot worse than this. You should know by now how trustworthy Worker 8 is outside of combat. Now, calm down. I'm sure we can get through this together," she told him. 

Ramza did calm down a bit. "So, where do you think they're taking us? And why?" he asked. 

Agrias shrugged. "I suppose we'll find out before long," she answered. 

"Yeah. I hope they aren't working for Syl--OW!" he yelled as a moogle gave him a nasty jab with his spear. 

"I think they're tired of listening to us, Ramza. We'd better be qui--OW!" Another moogle had stabbed her. 

Agrias and Ramza walked on in silence, both wondering where they were being led. 

* * * 

"Asura Back!" Malak yelled. 

The fiery blast caused the Archer to fall back for a second. The Archer was back up in a flash, though, and shot an arrow that went through his side. Malak gritted his teeth in pain, but managed to dodge the next arrow. The Archer pointed the crossbow again, but never got the chance to fire. Vantan had come and stabbed him. 

Vantan ran over to Malak. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a second," Malak said as he pulled out the arrow. 

Vantan smiled. "I'll give you better than that. Here!" The Holy Knight gave Malak a Hi Potion. "I got it off a Chemist." 

Malak poured it onto his wound, healing most of it. "Thanks. Come on, let's get back into the battle." 

* * * 

Three Knights surrounded Byblos. He hacked and slashed with the berserk frenzy of a cornered scorpion. His claws swiped the air in a frenzy, moving with lightning speed. His insane slicing rage was pointless, though, for the Knights easily blocked each of his attacks with their shields, waiting until he had exhausted himself. 

Byblos began to tire, and the Knights moved in, viciously slashing and stabbing him with their blades. In no time, Byblos was bleeding from a dozen gashes, barely able to continue standing, let alone fight back. 

One Knight raised his arm to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, a large, knife-like blade burst out of the ground, slicing through the Knight's arm and cutting his sword in half. The Knight yelled in pain. 

Meliadoul came running over and quickly plunged her sword into the Knight's abdomen. He fell dead to the ground. The two others turned to face their new foe, and Meliadoul tried to parry off their thrusts, unable to concentrate on striking a blow of her own. 

Byblos summoned his remaining strength, got to his feet, and cast Parasite. A wave of magic enclosed around the Knight, and when it left, he stood, a silent stone statue. 

The absence of a second enemy's attacks gave Meliadoul the interval between parries needed. "Icewolf Bite!" 

A large magical spike burst from the ground, stabbing through the small mantle the Knight wore, and scraping harshly along his backside. He yelped in pain and clutched at his back. This moment of distraction cost him his life as Meliadoul brought her Save the Queen blade down in a sweeping arc upon him. 

Meliadoul turned to the weakened Byblos. "Byblos, use your Shock power on anyone close to you. You're so badly hurt, it'll be very powerful." With that, she ran off to confront another enemy. 

Byblos watched her go. That woman was a warrior colder than a winter's chill blast. Even Agrias could not match her level of indifference. Rather than heal her companion, she would leave him to his own devices because his abilities became all the more powerful with each new wound he received. The death of her brother and father had deadened her to empathy for her fellow warriors. 

Byblos shook himself from these thoughts. Pondering his companion's personalities and flaws was not his concern. His concern was repaying his debt to Ramza, and that meant eliminating these foes. 

Byblos looked for a victim and saw a Wizard nearby. He concentrated on the Wizard while thinking about all the pain that had been inflicted upon him, all the blows he'd taken, all the blood he'd spilled, until his thoughts manifested themselves in a glowing sphere of hate hovering over him. He threw it at the Wizard. The moment it hit her, the Wizard gasped and fell, dead. 

Byblos next began to concentrate on a Lancer... 

* * * 

Mustadio reloaded his gun, took careful aim, and fired. Malak would never know how close a Geomancer came to killing him. Nor would Malak ever know that he had been saved by Mustadio. 

Mustadio sighed and reloaded his gun. Such was the way a sniper worked. Not many of his allies realized his value to the team because he did his job so well. He didn't really mind, but still, it would have been nice if they at least knew. 

* * * 

Vantan used Lightning Stab, slaying the final opponent. Everyone stood, breathing heavily, most bleeding from various wounds. Malak collected all the potions the dead Chemists had on them, and distributed them among everyone. 

Meliadoul walked over to the cave entrance. "Well, now what? Moving all this rubble and these rocks out of the way isn't going to be easy, probably not even possible," she said. 

Vantan had a suggestion. "Why don't we wait until Miss Alma comes back? Perhaps she'll have an idea." 

Everyone agreed to this. They all thought she'd have a good idea of what to do next, and anyway, they were too tired from the battle to do anything this moment. 

* * * 

Ramza gasped. He and Agrias had not been expecting anything like what they saw before them. 

The moogle village sat in a huge underground cavern, immense enough to fit half of the largest city of Ivalice inside. The surprising part, though, were the houses. 

The various moogles walking about their village lived inside enormous, hollowed-out mushrooms. Whether they had grown naturally to suit this need or whether the moogles had somehow engineered their size to become their homes. 

Ramza and Agrias had little time to take in the scenery, though, and were prodded along through the village to a special mushroom/home. This particular one was painted red, rather than left the natural white color of the other mushrooms. 

Ramza ordered Worker 8 to stay outside, for he could never hope to fit inside the large mushroom. Then, ducking their heads to enter through the short doorway, Ramza and Agrias entered. 


	23. Chapter 23

__

Legal Crap: I don't own the game, so don't sue me. It's that simple.

Author's Note: I feel very bad about this. I have not updated in I don't know how long. And I'm sorry, I don't know when the next update will be. I'm really busy right now on another project, and I'm afraid I have trouble devoting time to two things at once, so it may be a little while before the next chapter comes out. I'm terribly sorry, I'll try hard to cut the waiting time.

**** __

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 23 

By The RPGenius 

Alma had rejoined the others shortly after their battle. Now she studied and examined the blocked cave entrance. 

Malak told her about the situation. "None of us can get past these boulders. It might take months just to get a few feet in, and we don't know how far the cave in extends. Have any ideas?" 

Alma thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "As a matter of fact, I do. Wait here, I'll be back in a few days!" 

With that, she mounted Boco and rode off in the direction of Goug. 

* * * 

The inside of the mushroom hut was interesting, with many miscellaneous objects strewn about. Interesting, and extremely untidy. At the center of the small room, a moogle with dull gray wings sat on a small stool. 

"Kupo! Kupapog Kupapop Kupey?" he asked. Though his voice was fairly high and squeaky, as with all other moogles, it was a bit lower and shakier. Ramza suspected that this moogle was very old. 

A short conversation took place between one of the moogles and the older one. Once they were done speaking in moogle gibberish, the older one turned to Ramza. 

"Kupo! Time for talk, human," he said. "Your names?" 

Pleased to finally find a moogle that spoke his language, Ramza replied, "My name is Ramza Beoulve, this is my friend Agrias Oaks, and my large companion outside is Worker 8. What is your name?" 

"I'm Magop, kupo. Chief here." 

"Well met, Magop," Ramza said, extending his hand. Magop did not take it. 

"Kupo. Why you here? Humans here much lately. Hurt, kill moogles. Now you sleep in Holy Grounds, kupo! Very bad! You must die. Now." 

Magop waved his paw, and his moogles advanced with their spears. Ramza tried to talk his way out of this before Agrias began laying waste to the small creatures. 

"We're not with the other humans! They're trying to kill us!" Ramza told Magop. 

Magop spat. "You lie, human. All humans same. All lie, all kill. Even if you say true, you sleep in Moogle Holy Grounds!" 

"We had no idea that the room was considered sacred by your people! Surely, there must be some way to prove our sincerity to you?" Ramza replied. 

Magop considered for a moment, then waved his paw once more. The moogles stepped back. "One way, kupo. We go back to Holy Grounds. Answer may be there. But do not hope much, kupo!" 

Ramza, Agrias and Worker 8 found themselves retracing their steps back to the room with the spirit crystals. 

* * * 

While walking, Magop filled his prisoners in on some of the details of the Moogle Holy Grounds. Perhaps even these infidel humans would be able to see the divine beauty in it. 

"Holy Grounds place where all Moogle soul go, kupo. When Moogle dies, often leave Kupo-crystal behind with soul inside," Magop told them. 

"Yes," Ramza replied, "The same is true with most creatures. We call the crystals containing their souls behind Spirit Crystals. Humans don't use them as you do, though. We often grab them and break them open to release the soul inside. Humans believe that the soul inside is trapped, wishing for freedom, and that in thanks for setting it free, it restores the breaker's vitality and passes on knowledge that the soul gained in it's life." 

Magop snorted. "Kupo! Humans stupid, wrong. Moogle legend right. When Moogle dies, soul choose leave Kupo-crystal behind. Soul not trapped inside! Kupo-crystal left for gift to living Moogles. Have great power. Moogles do much with Kupo-crystal power. Kupo-crystal light shine through wall and ceiling, so able to light whole cave. Many together do great things, kupo." 

"Well," Ramza replied, "Maybe you're right, the soul may leave Spirit Crystals to be presents to those living. But humans might be right, too. Our legends are likely as old as yours." 

Magop snorted again. "Humans lie, so all human legends lie." 

There was silent marching for a good while, until Ramza asked, "Why do you Moogles live in this cave, and not on the surface? You need light to see. You seem better adapted for the surface." 

Magop glared at Ramza. "You know, kupo! All humans know! Humans reason Moogles live dark cave! Humans hunt Moogles long ago. Moogles warm fur, kupo, humans like. Humans like, so kill Moogles! I tiny when Moogles hide in cave, kupo. Humans not find, so stay here. No choice, kupo!" 

Ramza made the mental note that a Moogle's life span, to have been born during one of the ancient wars, must be incredibly long. 

Magop continued to glare at Ramza. "Your fault, human, kupo! All human fault!" 

Ramza protested, "You can't blame me for what was done so long ago by other people! I've never hurt your people, and I never drove you to live here. Not all humans are evil!" 

Magop replied, "Safe for Moogles go back?" 

Ramza frowned but did not answer. Moogles would still be considered good game by hunters. If the people of ancient times, with their impressive guns, robots, airships, and other technology, had not been able to find a better animal to skin warm coats from, then modern hunters would not be able to either. Moogles would once again be hunted to extinction. 

Magop smiled bitterly. "Kupo. Humans not same ones now as then, but humans always same kind. Always evil." 

"But that's not true--" Ramza began, but was cut off by Magop. 

"Kupo! We see soon. Now quiet!" 


	24. Chapter 24

__

Legal Crap: I don't own any of the stuff mentioned in this chapter, nor this story, nor in any fanfiction story I write. So lawsuits are unjustified.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 24 

By The RPGenius 

Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 followed Magop and his moogles until they had reached the room filled with Spirit Crystals. 

Magop turned to them and stated, "Now we find if you tell truth, kupo. Kupo Crystals let moogles talk other moogles very, very far away. I call great leader of moogles, he know much, kupo. If you good, he know." 

Ramza could not help but get a little less hopeful of getting out of this mess without resorting to violence. The possibility of a far-off moogle knowing whether he was hostile or not seemed unlikely. 

Magop turned to the Spirit Crystals and began chanting in moogle gibberish. The crystals began to glow brighter and brighter until they emitted a sudden flash of intense light. Before Magop, the glowing form of a moogle took shape. This moogle's eyes seemed to be perpetually squinting. 

The glowing moogle frowned and looked around. When his gaze rested on Magop, his frown deepened. 

"Magop?" he demanded. "Kupo, this better be quick. My friends and I are about to go defeat that lunatic that's terrorizing my world. What do you want, kupo?" 

Magop bowed low. "Oh, great Mog, leader who watch other moogles, fight evil, save worlds…" 

Mog scowled more deeply than ever and waved his small paw impatiently. "Shut up, kupo! Just tell me what you want, and leave me alone!" 

Magop arose and pointed to Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8. "Humans lie, say they not want hurt moogles. Say they good. I bring be judged, kupo." 

Mog heaved a mighty sigh. "Kupo! I don't exactly keep track of every single person on your planet, you know, even if it is an important place. But if it'll get you to go away, kupo…" 

Mog turned to Ramza. "You, human, kupo, what's your name?" 

"Ramza Beoulve. These are my companions, Agrias Oaks and Worker 8," Ramza replied. 

Mog seemed almost to choke. "Ramza BEOULVE, kupo!?" 

Mog turned to Magop with a look of extreme irritation. "You idiot! You brainless oaf! You…you kappu! My reports on Lucavi's campaigns say that this human is the reason that you're not all enslaved by Zodiac Monsters by now, kupo! This man is the greatest hero on your planet! How could you not know who they are!?" Mog yelled. 

Magop mumbled some apologies and excuses. Mog held up his hand. "I don't want to hear it, kupo. Just make sure that these people have whatever services they need from you, and don't bother me again! Now, I really have to go, Setzer's announcing that we've reached our destination, kupo." 

With that, Mog vanished. Magop ran over to Ramza and bowed at his feet. "Sorry, hero! Sorry! Can moogles help any way?" Magop asked. 

*** 

Alma reached Mustadio's home after nonstop riding through the swamps. She leaped off of Boco, leaving him to catch his breath. She quickly entered the house. 

Once inside, Alma began looking among the scattered machinery. 

"Alma? What are you looking for?" came a voice behind her. 

Alma turned and saw Rafa leaning against the wall. Although it was obvious that Rafa was having some trouble staying upright by herself, Alma was relieved to see that she was steadily recovering from her wound. 

"It's good to see that you're okay, Rafa," Alma said. 

Rafa smiled. "Well, I'm not strong enough yet to really do much, but at least I don't need the doctor to hand feed me any more. Why are you back alone? And what are you looking for?" 

Alma continued to search the clutter strewn about the floor as she answered, "I needed to come back as fast as possible, so I didn't bring anyone else along. I'm looking for some of those 'bombs' that Mustadio made." 

Rafa pointed to a corner. "I think they're over there. What's going on?" 

Alma hurried over to where Rafa pointed. Sure enough, there was a box with many round explosives. "Sorry, Rafa, I don't really have time to explain. I really need to get back as soon as possible." 

With that, Alma stuffed several bombs in her dress pockets and hurried out of the house. She quickly got on Boco and headed back to the cave. 


	25. Chapter 25

__

Legal Crap: It's not changing: still don't own it, nor make a profit off of it, nor expect to be sued.

Author's Note: Sorry this is taking so long to get up. I'm going as fast as I can, really!

****

__

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 25 

By The RPGenius 

Though they were hard to win the trust of, the moogles were very helpful and courteous once they knew that Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 were not there to hurt them. Magop had led the three outsiders back to the moogle village, where the moogles had treated their guests to a large meal of mushrooms and an interesting variety of nuts that the moogles called, not surprisingly, Kupo Nuts. Interestingly enough, the Kupo Nuts grew in the light of the Spirit Crystals just as well as they would have in the sun's light. 

Once Ramza and Agrias were done eating a much-needed meal, their first since getting stuck in the cave, Magop offered them the moogles' services as guides and escorts to the surface entrance. 

And so it was that Ramza, Agrias, and Worker 8 were now traveling with about thirty moogles, including Magop, along the path leading to the way out of the cave. The occasional patrol groups of Syldreth's were no match for Ramza, Agrias, Worker 8, and a large horde of spear-wielding moogles. It looked like this little adventure was drawing to a close. 

And while this fact naturally relieved Ramza, he could not help but feel a bit saddened by it. Try as he might to figure out why, though, the reason eluded him. 

"Well, Ramza, it looks like we'll be out soon," Agrias remarked to him. 

Ramza nodded his head. 

"You look as though something is bothering you," she prodded. 

Ramza sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was just worrying about Alma and our friends. I hope they managed to fare well against Duegran and his soldiers," he said. 

"I wouldn't worry too much, Ramza. Our allies have survived worse odds before. I'm sure they're alive," Agrias said. 

Ramza smiled. "Such confidence in others is unlike you, Agrias. When you first joined us, you only trusted yourself to get things done." 

Agrias allowed a small smile to creep across her face. "It's all your fault, Ramza. Journeying with you has changed me. You've taught me that I can trust others, that I can trust you, to help me when I need it. Until I met you, I trusted and relied on no one. Your trust and faith in your allies and friends rubbed off on me, I guess." 

Further conversation was cut off as Magop squeaked, "Worker 8 not walk." 

Ramza turned and saw that Worker 8 had stopped moving and was standing a few feet behind. His eyes were glowing a strange light purple color. 

"Worker 8?" Ramza questioned. He received no response. "Worker 8, let's go. Walk, Worker 8! What's wrong?" 

Worker 8 continued to stand in silence. Some moogles threw a few rocks at him, and even prodded him with their spears, but nothing provoked a reaction from the large robot. 

Magop turned to Ramza and said, "Kupo! Surface-light entrance soon. Ramza, Agrias walk on. We catch up, find way get Worker 8 there, kupo." 

Ramza looked doubtfully at the immense metal giant. "You're sure you can handle him?" 

Magop waved his paw dismissively. "Kupo, find way. Ramza not waste time." 

Ramza and Agrias continued down the tunnel, leaving Magop to deal with Worker 8. 

*** 

Magop regretted his offer. He and his moogles had been pulling and pushing Ramza's huge pet for a good ten minutes now, and there was very little progress, if any. Magop had no idea how they were going to move this thing. 

Worker 8's eyes suddenly turned back to their typical reddish-orange color. Without warning, he began to clamber forward, knocking a few moogles aside. Seeing that he had done this, he paused long enough to utter a "Excuse me, sorry," before continuing forward. Magop watched as he began to run down the tunnel that Ramza and Agrias had entered. 

After a moment, Magop signaled for his moogles to follow. 

Unfortunately, the giant robot's rapid, large strides caused him to easily outdistance the small, stubby-legged moogles, and Magop and his friends soon lost sight him down the tunnel. 

*** 

Finally, after so long, Ramza and Agrias had reached the cave entrance. Agrias could barely suppress her relief. Soon they would out. 

Or would they? She turned to Ramza. "Do you have a plan to unblock the entrance?" she asked, surveying the wall of rubble blocking their exit. She suspected that she already knew the answer. 

Her suspicions were confirmed as Ramza walked to the rubble and answered, "Well, I had planned to Worker 8 to drill through here, but since he isn't here, no, I don't know what to do." 

Agrias sighed. Now what? 

A large clanking sound caught her attention. She turned and saw Worker 8 walking towards Ramza. 

Ramza walked toward the robot saying, "Great! We were just talking about you, Wor…" 

Worker 8's arm shot out and grabbed Ramza by the throat. It was then that Agrias saw with horror that, rather than an 8, the number printed on the head of this robot was 9. This was the robot following Syldreth. 

Agrias yelled and ran forward, swinging her sword. Her Holy Explosion barely touched the hulking robot. Agrias began hacking and slashing, but the robot's armor seemed different than Worker 8's. This robot's body seemed nigh impervious to physical damage. Worker 9 simply ignored Agrias and tightened his grip around Ramza's throat, choking him. 

Agrias desperately tried every power she had, from her normal Holy Knight abilities to the Divine Knight abilities that she had learned recently from Meliadoul, but none seemed to even draw the steel giant's attention. She was horrified to see that Ramza's struggles were becoming weaker and weaker, but she could do nothing to help! 

This went on for about two minutes. Ramza was unconscious by now, yet Worker 9 would not relinquish his hold on him. Agrias felt tears forming in her eyes as she continued to use every skill and power she knew over and over, trying desperately, vainly to save Ramza. 

Suddenly, Worker 9 hurled Ramza's limp body against the cave wall. 

"Ramza!" Agrias cried out, running to him. Before she got more than two steps to him, though, Worker 9 picked her up and began to choke her in the same way as he had Ramza. Agrias gasped for breath and struggled to escape his grip, but she knew it was no good. She was going to die, too. She had failed. She hadn't been able to save Ramza, and now she was going to die as well. It was Ramza's death, though, that left her grief-stricken. 

Then, before her eyes, another Worker robot appeared. Worker 8! 

Worker 8 delivered a Destroy attack to Worker 9 that sent the enemy robot stumbling back. Worker 9 relinquished his grip on Agrias as he turned to fight this new, dangerous foe. 

Agrias ran over to where Ramza was lying. Perhaps she wasn't too late. Maybe there was still a chance to save him. 

When she reached him, she knelt down and checked him. He wasn't breathing, and worse, he had no pulse. Agrias had been trained, as part of her bodyguard training, what to do in such a case. She just hoped and prayed that it would work. 

She quickly knelt down and, placing her mouth on his, gave him two breaths. She then placed her hands on his chest and compressed it ten times. 

"Come on, Ramza…breathe…wake up!" she pleaded. 

Getting no results, she repeated the process. 

"Wake up, Ramza, please! Don't die, don't die, live! LIVE!" she screamed. 

Still nothing happened. She tried again. And again. And continued to get the same result. 

Agrias slowly stood up. It hadn't worked. She couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening…Ramza couldn't be…this just wasn't possible… 

Agrias lowered her head and did something she hadn't done since she was a child. 

She cried. 


	26. Chapter 26

__

Legal Crap: I don't own the game, the characters, the license, and all that, and I don't make money off of it, so don't press charges.

Author's Note: Well, this took a while, and it'll take a while for the next chapter. I really, really hope that this chapter does not fail anyone's expectations. I've done the best I can do, even though I think it should be better. Now of all times I would really, really like reviews.

Author's Note 2: Maybe they didn't have CPR in the olden days of Earth, but keep in mind this is Ivalice, not Earth. And keep in mind that Ivalice's medieval time comes after a time of great technology and knowledge, some of which is still partially retained. I don't think it's that unbelievable to have a bodyguard for royalty trained in CPR, and I don't think it's questionable that it could exist. Then again, maybe I'm just making excuses for a plot hole. You decide.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 26 

By The RPGenius 

Before the ancient wars, before their great battle value had been discovered, the Worker series had simply been used for heavy labor purposes for just about any job that required strength beyond that of humans. The beginning Worker robots were equipped with a durable body, capable of withstanding incredible physical damage easily. Worker 9 was the last of the Worker robots to be made to this defensive design, making him nigh impervious to even the Holy Knight skills of Agrias. 

Worker 8 was the first robot made with labor skills that resembled offensive abilities. The hard, durable body was abandoned in favor for such powerful enhancements as his impressive lasers and drill. Though these upgrades were meant to aid the robot in heavy labor tasks, in the embattled wars waged by the ancient people of Ivalice, such abilities showed a powerful servant capable of mass destruction. Thus, Worker 7 and all other Worker series robots after 8 were made with the intent of war, not peaceful labor, in mind, each new robot becoming more and more of a lethal killer. 

Thus, Worker 8 was aware as he grappled with Worker 9 that his opponent's strengths lay in a different category than his own, and so planned a strategy in that consideration. 

Worker 8 made no move to attack, knowing that 9's armor would likely repel whatever offensive maneuver he made. Worker 9, seeing that 8 was acting defensively, made the mistake of using a tactic that he was ill-suited to make the best of: he went on the offensive. Worker 9 drew his arm back and hurled his enormous fist at his opponent. 

Worker 8 quickly dodged slightly to the right while transforming his fist into a spinning drill. As 9's arm sailed ineffectively by 8's head, Worker 8 shoved his drill into the junction point under 9's arm that humans referred to as the 'arm pit'. With a squeal of tearing metal, the drill effectively went straight through 9's arm. As Worker 8 drew his hand/drill back to himself, 9's entire arm fell to the ground, severed from the main body. 

Worker 9 staggered back a few steps, as if unsure of what course of action to take. Worker 8 watched his opponent. Too late, 9 decided to battle defensively. As 8 charged, Worker 9 braced himself to take the blow. Worker 8 slammed into his opponent, but made not even a dent in 9's armor. Worker 9 attempted to counter attack 8, but his strategy of defense had allowed 8 to get too close. Worker 8 managed to get ever so slightly to the side of 9 where his arm had come off. Taking quick, but careful, aim, Worker 8 fired his powerful laser beams into the hole where 9's arm had been. 

Worker 9 exploded from the inside out, leaving nothing more than scrap metal strewn about and a lifeless steel husk lying at the feet of the victor. 

Worker 8 turned to where Agrias was kneeling over Master Ramza. She had just completed another round of resuscitation attempts, and now, feeling it too late, was weeping like an infant. 

A quick scan of Master Ramza's body revealed to Worker 8 that Master Ramza was, indeed, too far gone for Agrias's methods to work. There was still one possibility, though. 

Worker 8 rushed over and shoved Agrias roughly aside. Rude, but it was necessary for the robot to have space. Worker 8 laid his hands on Master Ramza. 

"Preparing electric life revival shock…clear!" Worker 8 stated. 

Master Ramza's body jumped slightly as Worker 8 pumped electricity into him. 

"What are you doing!? Get away from him!" Agrias screamed, running over and attempting to push the steel giant away. 

Once more Worker 8 roughly shoved her away, this time with enough force to send her several feet away. Again, it was a crude action, but he didn't have time for politeness. 

As Agrias got up and drew her sword, Worker 8 changed the voltage, then tried again. This time, Master Ramza coughed. Worker 8's scan indicated that Master Ramza's heart had restarted. 

"Uhhhh…wha, what happened?" Master Ramza mumbled, sitting up dazed. 

Agrias's sword dropped to the ground. Worker 8 watched as she ran forward and wrapped her arms around Master Ramza in what humans called a 'hug'. 

* * * 

"Ramza…my God! Ramza!" Agrias sobbed brokenly, her previous tears of horrible sorrow being replaced by those of an equally powerful relief and happiness. 

Ramza was, needless to say, somewhat overwhelmed. The last thing he remembered was struggling to escape Worker 9's murderous grasp, and now, suddenly, Agrias was sobbing and hugging him. The sight of Agrias shedding tears was almost more than his mind could handle as it was. 

"Agrias, what happened? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned and confused. 

"You were…I thought that you'd…I thought he'd ki…" Agrias tried to get out. She was too overwhelmed to finish the sentence, though, and simply hugged Ramza tighter. 

Agrias's state made Ramza realize that he must have had a very, very close call. He put his arms around her and returned the hug as he gently said, "It's okay, I'm alive, Agrias." 

The logical part of Agrias's mind seemed to regain control of her, and she realized what she was doing. Or, more accurately, she suddenly asked herself what in the name of God was she doing, hugging him and crying like a child? 

She let him go and moved back, her mind confused. "I'm…sorry, Ramza," she murmured, not understanding what had happened. 

Why had she just done that? What was going on? Why was she doing this? 

Why had she decided to stay with him after the defeat of Altima? Why did his praise mean so much to her? 

These questions fired through her head during the space of a second. Why, why, why? 

And suddenly, she knew. She felt it. She knew the answer. 

Because… 

"I love you, Ramza," she murmured, almost not aware that she was speaking what she had just realized. 

She looked him in the eyes. "I love you, Ramza." The words felt right. She knew it was true. This man, the most decent and moral man perhaps ever to live in Ivalice, had captured her heart. Whether it had happened while fighting against the plans to resurrect Altima, or in working alongside him in pitiful little jobs after Altima's fall, or if she had reached the point of true love while they were trapped in the cave, Agrias didn't know. And didn't care. What did it matter? 

Ramza's mind was reeling. First Agrias had started crying, an occurrence that Ramza hadn't even been sure was possible, and now she had just confessed her love for him and was hugging him fiercely once more. What should he do? What should he say? 

And as he wondered this question, he found that he already knew. He knew precisely how to respond to the woman who had trusted him above all others, who had saved his life time and time again, who had stood against the powers of Lucavi himself with Ramza. 

"I love you, too, Agrias," he told her. 

Their eyes met. He held her, and they kissed. 

There are truly no words to describe the wondrous sensation of a kiss between those in love. Even fewer to describe the first kiss between them. Suffice to say, any doubts either may have had were instantly melted as their lips embraced. 

They drew back, and Ramza looked around. Lying in a heap were the remnants of Worker 9, and Worker 8 stood a few feet away watching Ramza and Agrias. 

"So…what happened?" Ramza asked. "Why is Worker 8 here?" 

"Worker 9 threw you against the wall, then tried to choke me, too. He would have, but Worker 8 suddenly came running down the tunnel and attacked Worker 9. While they were fighting, I tried to help you with some of the techniques I was taught in training to be a bodyguard. But your heart had stopped, and nothing I tried worked. I really thought you were--were gone…" Here Agrias paused. The memory of that moment was still horrible, even though Ramza was okay. "After Worker 8 was done trashing Worker 9, he came over to you and did something. I don't know what it was, but it worked." 

"Wait, wait," Ramza stopped her. "Worker 8 did all that? How? He never does anything until I order him to." 

To both Ramza and Agrias's surprise, Worker 8 replied, "Allow me to explain, Master. If you will call up your memory, you will recall that prior joining up with Duegran and falling into this trap, your companion Mustadio inserted a device that he believed would give me the ability to reason into my system. He believed it was a failure. In reality, however, my systems have been preparing themselves for the program since then. It took several days for preparations to be completed. Until approximately 34 minutes, 21 seconds ago, I was unready to begin the new program. However, once my systems were finally ready, I switched over to Mustadio's device's program. I was deactivated for approximately 16 minutes, 3 seconds, during which you went on without me. Now I am fully functional and capable of independent thought and reason, and can perform actions without your orders, Master. By the way, I believe I am experiencing something close to the human emotion of happiness in seeing that you have found a mate, Master." 

Ramza had understandably not fully understood Worker 8's long speech, but got the general idea. "Thank you, Worker 8. I'm glad to see that Mustadio's device worked after all." 

Ramza and Agrias stood up, and Agrias turned her attention to the blocked entrance in front of them. "Well, that clears up one question. Now for the other: how do we get out?" 

"You don't," Syldreth's voice came from behind them. 


	27. Chapter 27

__

Legal Crap: Not my stuff, not my game, not my profit, and on.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 27 

By The RPGenius 

Vantan looked up at the sound of far-off chocobo running. He, like the rest of Ranma's companions, was lounging about the former entrance to the cave, having nothing else to do. They had searched along the sides of the large, almost-mountain that the cave resided in, but had found no other entrance. After wasting much time in a futile attempt to move the heavy wall of rubble that blocked the entrance, they had agreed to leave it alone until Alma came back. 

His eyes confirmed his ears: on top of the hill nearby, Boco, carrying Alma, was headed towards the group at a fast pace. 

"Alma's back," Vantan told the rest of them, not that it was really necessary. They had all seen her by now. 

Once Alma had reached them, she jumped off Boco, breathing heavily. 

"Why did you need to leave? What's the plan?" Meliadoul demanded. 

Still breathing heavily from nonstop riding, Alma took out a bomb from the bag she held. "Mustadio, I saw your demonstration of this before we left your home. Will it work on the cave?" 

Mustadio's face lit up. "Yeah, it should. We may need more than one, but I think we can blow through the blocked entrance." 

"Good thinking, Alma," Malak complimented her. 

Alma smiled, and Mustadio began setting the bombs up around the blocked entrance. 

*** 

"I must say," Syldreth continued, her hood down. She stood further back in the cave, right near the large hole to the side where Titan had smashed into the brittle cave floor. "I'm surprised that you managed to make it here." 

"Even more surprised that you destroyed Worker 9," she went on, walking slowly and calmly to the broken remains of her powerful robot. 

"Surprised, and a bit irritated. But I suppose it really doesn't matter," she said, kneeling down to remove the glowing stone of Cancer from the wreckage of Worker 9. He obviously would not be needing it for a power source any longer. 

"One way or another, I'll kill you, and if I must soil my own hands to do it, then so be it." 

Ramza and Agrias grabbed their blades from the ground, and Worker 8 took a ready position. Syldreth could feel Sleeris inside her, demanding to be freed for battle. But Syldreth did not release the Zodiac Monster's spirit just yet. She decided to fight by herself for now. After all, if she could kill Ramza herself--which she had few doubts that she could, for he now only had two allies to rely on, rather than his usual large group--then there was no need to unleash the powers of Lucavi. Sleeris's disapproval surged through Syldreth, but she again ignored the Zodiac Monster within her. 

Syldreth calmly reached within the cape of her cloak. Suddenly, her arms were a blur of motion as they rapidly shot a torrent of throwing knives through the air at her foes. Within the space of seconds, she had used up her entire supply of knives--a dozen all told. When she stopped her deadly throwing frenzy, she looked to see what the result of her attack had been, expecting to see the carcasses of Ramza Beoulve and Agrias Oaks serving as pincushions for her knives. 

Instead, she saw the large figure of Worker 8 standing stoutly in front of his human allies, serving as a protective wall. About the robot lay Syldreth's knives, scattered about the floor. Only a few had actually penetrated the robot's hard body when they had hit, and it was obvious that none of them had struck anything even remotely vital to his systems. 

With a snarl of rage, Syldreth drew her two vicious ninja blades. With the agility and grace of a natural-born ninja and assassin, she dashed forward and darted to the side of Worker 8 as she neared him. The robot's slow, clumsy attempt to catch hold of her was futile, and only helped Syldreth in that he would need to waste valuable time to recover his fighting stance before attacking again. 

With Worker 8 out of the way for a moment, Syldreth could concentrate on the humans behind him. She pounced forward, swinging her blade down in a deadly arc unto Ramza's head. He brought his own sword up to match her stroke, and Syldreth's ears were assaulted by the clash of the two blades striking together. 

Even as Ramza held Syldreth's first sword back with his own, she swept her second sideways to slash his stomach. The blade whistled through the air, then was suddenly and violently stopped as it met another sword not inches away from Ramza's flesh. Agrias had thrust her sword down into the ground to block the deadly attack. 

Doing so had placed her in an awkward position, though, and Syldreth exploited this by kicking Agrias from the side as hard as she could. Being a ninja, Syldreth was able to put quite a lot of force behind her kick and still maintain balance on one leg, and thus Agrias was knocked on her back by the blow. 

Syldreth turned to finish Agrias off. She brought both of her blades plunging down to kill the Holy Knight, but Agrias managed to roll aside moments before being impaled. As Syldreth's swords dug into the empty ground where Agrias had been, they did no damage save to sever the very ends of a few strands of Agrias's hair. 

Syldreth pulled her weapons from the ground and prepared to attack again. Suddenly, she felt a piercing, seizing pain in her stomach. Looking down, she stared in dull shock at the blade of the Ragnarok that now protruded from her. In attacking Agrias she had given Ramza a golden opportunity for attack. Ramza pulled his blade free from her, and she staggered with the fatal sway of the soon-to-be dead. Distantly, she felt herself being lifted by Worker 8, and thrown against a wall several feet away. The pain from the impact was harsh, but becoming more and more distant… 

The entity of Sleeris within her rose to the surface, taking control of Syldreth's body as she began to die. Syldreth's arm reached into a concealed pocket and brought out the Cancer Zodiac stone that she had retrieved from Worker 9. The rock began to glow… 

*** 

Ramza watched the all-too-familiar scene in horror. Syldreth was engulfed in a circle of cold, dark violet light, then, in an unreal explosion, there stood the Zodiac Monster, Sleeris. 

Sleeris, like all other Zodiac Monsters, was a horrific beast. The large monster most resembled the crab that was its sign. The main body of Sleeris was a large shell like that of a crab, with two human-like legs extending from the bottom of it. Both legs were powerful, muscular, and somewhat short, perfectly equipped to hold up the large beast that that supported. Two arms also branched out of Sleeris's shell, both human-like and as muscular as the legs. Each ended not with a hand, but rather with an enormous crab claw. Finally, at the top of the horrific beast sat its head, a perpetually grinning human skull. 

A bubbly, low voice issued from the skull. "So we meet, Ramza Beoulve…you killed the others…I now will kill you…come, loyal minions of Lucavi!" 

With a wave of Sleeris's hand, three Archaic Demons and an Apanda appeared by the Zodiac Monster. 

Worker 8 once more tensed for battle, and Ramza and Agrias tightened their grips on their swords. However, all three knew that the chances of victory when they were outnumbered almost two to one by Lucavi's minions of darkness were very slim. 

Before anyone could make a move, though, the blocked cave entrance behind Ramza exploded in a wave of fire, and the wall of debris was suddenly no more. 

Shielding his eyes from the bright light of day that was so much harsher than the comfortable glow of the Spirit Crystals deep in the cave, Ramza saw Alma, Boco, Byblos, Vantan, Meliadoul, Malak, and Mustadio all rushing into the cave. 

"Brother! You're okay!" Alma said happily, giving Ramza a hug. Boco nuzzled him with his beak. 

"Looks like we came in just in time, too," Malak said as he saw Lucavi's demons further back. 

Sleeris emitted a hideous laugh. "Wonderful…Ramza, Alma, the traitor Byblos, and all their allies together at once…I can finish you all off at once!" 

"Underestimating us is what doomed Velius, Quecklain, Hashmalum, Elidibs, Adremelk, and Zarela," Ramza said as Alma released him. 

"And now, you shall join their names, Sleeris," Vantan said as he unsheathed his sword. 

The battle commenced.


	28. Chapter 28

__

Legal Crap: See another disclaimer for this story, it explains it there.

****

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 28 

By The RPGenius 

Worker 8 struggled with an Archaic Demon. They wrestled each other to the ground, each seeking to gain an advantage over the other. 

It was not long into this struggle that Worker 8 came to the conclusion that, mighty as he might be, his strength was not as great as that of the demon's. Still Worker 8 fought on, knowing that if he could keep this one demon at bay, the others' chances at victory would rise substantially. 

It did not matter if that victory had to come at the sacrifice of himself… 

*** 

"Exhale bloody air…Dark Holy!" 

Alma was interrupted from her spell casting by the spell of a nearby Archaic Demon. As cold, dark light swept over her, an explosion of unholy energy ripped through her, causing her to scream in agonizing pain and fall on her knees. That spell nearly killed her, but she continued to doggedly charge her Mbarrier magic spell. 

Seeing that its spell had not finished her off, the Archaic Demon charged Alma to destroy her. As it reached her and prepared to bring its powerful fist down on the prone girl, its face twisted in an ugly sneer of wicked glee. 

Suddenly, Boco was between them, pecking and clawing at the monster, and warking angrily. The demon snorted in annoyance and a little pain at this assault, then grabbed Boco by the neck. It lifted the bird up, then smashed the poor chocobo's skull across the ground. Boco was instantly knocked unconscious. The demon turned his attention back to Alma. 

A shot rang out, and then another. The demon howled in pain and clutched at its arm. Alma saw Mustadio further away hastily trying to refill his gun. Unfortunately, the demon also saw him, and ran in an all-out charge to take vengeance on Mustadio. 

*** 

Byblos growled in helpless fury. This battle was going to end in total defeat for Ramza and his comrades without his help. They were powerful indeed, but there was no possibility of their defeating Sleeris without his aid. Lucavi had sent Sleeris on this mission of Ramza's assassination for a reason, and only Byblos had the knowledge of the Zodiac Monsters that could help. 

Unfortunately, he could not get to anyone else to help them, for the Apanda that had been summoned blocked his way. Both beasts circled one another for a few moments, then pounced at one another and joined in a murderous scuffle. Biting, hacking, slashing, neither monster seemed to be able to get the upper hand, though both were bleeding profusely from many wounds after only a minute of frenzied combat. 

The Apanda backed off and sat still. It appeared to be awaiting an attack from its opponent. Byblos waited a moment, thinking to catch his breath if his opponent was going to give him the chance to. 

Suddenly, the Apanda growled, "Bio!" and Byblos realized that it had not been awaiting attack, but preparing to cast a spell. This realization came as his body began pulsing with the poisonous pain, but it was too late to do anything about it. 

The pain distracted Byblos long enough for the Apanda to knock him backwards and onto his back. Byblos tried to rise, but he no longer had the strength as he felt the poison taking its toll on his strength. He was more immediately concerned, however, by the Apanda taking a pouncing position… 

*** 

Meliadoul was pinned in the corner by the last Archaic Demon. It had not actually attacked her yet, oddly enough, but seemed more intent with keeping her away from Sleeris. 

Meliadoul thrust her sword forward and was rewarded by the sight of it plunging deep into the body of the demon. The demon growled in pain, but did not seem fatally wounded. Instead, it grabbed the blade stuck in its belly and, with a grunt, pulled it from within itself and from Meliadoul's grasp. 

The demon turned and threw the Save the Queen far back into the cave. There was a very distant clatter as it landed. 

Sneering triumphantly, the demon turned his murderous gaze back upon the now helpless Meliadoul… 

*** 

Agrias, Vantan, and Ramza faced Sleeris. 

Agrias swung her blade down in an arc, calling out, "Heaven's wish to destroy all minds…Holy Explosion!" 

The blast of light enveloped Sleeris, but when it left, the Zodiac Monster of Cancer seemed totally undamaged. 

Vantan ran forward and slashed at Sleeris. His Rune Blade struck the monster's shelled body with a heavy clang, but could not make even a mark on the shell. 

"Pathetic!" came Sleeris's taunting voice. "It will take more than that pathetic little blade to penetrate my shell!" 

Sleeris raised its arm and brought its claw heavily down upon Vantan's skull. The White Knight dropped to the ground unconscious. 

Ramza tightened his grip on his sword as Sleeris lumbered toward he and Agrias. "I'm sure we can defeat it working together, Agrias. We've been up against worse odds before." 

Agrias appreciated his sentiments, but she knew as well as he did that it was false bravado put on to try to raise her spirits. Sleeris's armored shell had, so far, completely repelled all their attempts to damage it. This battle did not look hopeful… 

*** 

Byblos saw the Apanda flying through the air to finish him off. Suddenly, a rod slammed into the Apanda's stomach, sending the small demon flying into the cave wall. It did not get back up. 

Byblos managed to summon the strength to lift his head to see his savior, Malak, standing before him. 

Malak knelt down and held a bottle of Antidote to Byblos's lips. He drank eagerly and felt the poison's pain dwindling to nothing. Still, he was too hurt to stand. 

"Byblos," Malak told him, "I'm going to pick you up and bring you to another enemy. When we get close enough, use your Shock power. Don't worry, if anyone attacks us, I'll use a potion on you before they can wound you further." 

Byblos felt himself being lifted up gently. He opened his mouth weakly to protest, to break his silence to the humans and tell Malak what needed to be done, but he was simply too weak still to form the words. 

*** 

Mustadio saw the Archaic Demon that had been attacking Alma come charging for him. Hastily, he fumbled with his ammo, trying to reload his gun before the enemy reached him. 

Mustadio cursed inwardly as his shaking hands dropped the bullet he was attempting to load. Picking it up would take too much time; he would have to do with only the one he had already loaded. 

Mustadio raised his gun to eye level. He forced his arms to stop shaking, knowing that if he missed this shot, his life would end. He carefully took aim of the demon as it got closer and closer. 

The monster had almost reached him. Just a few seconds more and it would have him. Mustadio could hear the beast's gleeful squeal of the anticipated kill, could smell the rank odor of the unholy. 

He pulled the trigger. 

With a bang, the gun went off, and a hole appeared between the eyes of the Archaic Demon. Its face froze in the shocked expression of unexpected death as a trickle of black blood creeped down from the wound, and it fell forward as the life left its legs. 

Mustadio was happy to be alive, but the demon had been so close that, in falling, it had landed on him. He struggled to shove the heavy carcass off of him, but could not. Both the Archaic Demon and Mustadio were effectively out of the fight. 

*** 

Worker 8 had been wrestled onto his back. As he gazed up at the Archaic Demon above him, his logic circuits began calculating that he was about to receive a rather severe beating. 

His opponent made a fist and drew it back, preparing to smash it into the robot. Suddenly, a heavy staff smashed the demon across the skull. Alma stood behind it, having finished casting Mbarrier on her brother and Agrias. 

The Archaic Demon grunted more in annoyance than in pain. He did not release Worker 8, but used the fist that he had planned to attack the robot with to sideswipe Alma aside, knocking the girl to the ground. 

Before the demon could turn his attention back to Worker 8, his head was once again assaulted, this time with a longer, stronger rod. The demon turned to face Malak. Just as he did, Byblos, still cradled in Malak's arms, concentrated on his anger, on the aching wounds covering him, of the blood that had flowed, on his bitter hatred for those that had done this to him. Above his head, the sphere of evil energy created by his resentment was growing. 

The Archaic Demon never even had the chance to lift his arms in defense as the ball of hatred hit him. With a groan, the demon fell, dead. 

"Thank you, Malak, Alma, and Byblos," Worker 8 said before lumbering off to aid Ramza and Agrias against Sleeris. 

*** 

Malak helped Alma to her feet. "You're hurt. You should cast MBarrier on yourself," he advised her. 

"Thank you, Malak," she said as she began to concentrate to do as he suggested. 

Byblos, still in Malak's arms, had regained a tiny portion of his strength by now. He knew that he had to tell Malak and Alma now. Worker 8's help against Sleeris would slow the monster from killing Ramza and Agrias immediately, but Byblos doubted that even the mighty Worker series robot would be able to stop Sleeris. Only Byblos, former demon of Lucavi, knew a way to beat Sleeris. 

"M…Mala…k…" Byblos gasped hoarsely, the act of speaking difficult in his weakened condition. 

Malak jerked his head at the sound of Byblos speaking, and both he and Alma looked at the small demon in shock. "Byblos, you can talk?" Malak asked in disbelief. 

Byblos had no time for their amazement. "M…Me…Meli…ad…oul…" he struggled to get the word out. It was too much exertion for his weakened body, and he could say no more. 

Malak looked about and saw that Meliadoul was cornered by the remaining Archaic Demon. "You're right, Byblos, she's in trouble. Alma, as soon as you finish casting MBarrier, give Byblos a few potions. I'm going to go help Meliadoul," Malak said. 

As Byblos watched Malak go, he tried to call out, "No!" but could do no more than whisper it. Malak had not understood Byblos's meaning--that Meliadoul was the only one who could possibly save them from Sleeris. 

*** 

Agrias and Ramza hacked and slashed viciously at Sleeris at inhuman speed, thanks to the enhancing effects of the MBarriers that Alma had cast on each. Though neither missed their mark, Sleeris shrugged off these attacks as though they were nothing. Even the Ragnarok didn't have the power to penetrate the Zodiac Monster's shell. 

Ramza and Agrias stepped back for a moment. "Any ideas?" Ramza asked his companion and love. 

Before Agrias could respond, Sleeris waved a claw and called out, "Ice 3!" Ramza felt the pain of the immense iceberg as it dropped on him, but thankfully much of the force of the attack was absorbed by the MBarrier. 

As that attack ended, Ramza concentrated on his own spell. Seeing that Ramza was preparing a spell of his own, Sleeris moved to attack. Agrias moved in front of Ramza to protect him and swung her sword to use her Split Punch technique. The enormous magical sword that erupted from the ground barely even grazed Sleeris. 

Ramza finished his preparation. Opening his eyes, he stretched his hand forward and called out, "Ultima!" 

An explosion of intense magical energy enveloped Sleeris. When the spell was over, though, Ramza groaned to see that it had no effect. 

Sleeris laughed aloud. "Ha ha ha! How could the Bloody Angel have failed to exterminate your pathetic lives? Weaklings!" 

The laugh was cut off as Worker 8 came barreling into it. The monster was knocked back several paces by the sheer force of the immense robot slamming into it. Sleeris remained standing, though, and turned to face this new enemy. 

Worker 8 drove his fist into Sleeris's body as hard as he could, all the power of the immense Steel Giant being poured into this attack. The fist of Worker 8 struck Sleeris with an ear-shattering crash. Ramza and Agrias actually dropped their swords to cover their ears from the immense noise. 

Though the force of this blow forced Sleeris back another couple of paces, even the mighty fist of Worker 8 could not penetrate the armored shell protecting Sleeris. The only visible damage was not to be found on Sleeris, but rather on the slightly dented fist of Worker 8. Thankfully, the robot did not have circuitry for feeling pain. 

Sleeris smashed its claw forcefully into Worker 8's chest. With the powerful claw meeting the steel body created a clashing sound almost as loud as the one created by Worker 8's attack. 

As Sleeris withdrew the claw, a small dent could be seen in Worker 8's chest. The robot's eyes flickered for a moment, then went dim. 

"Worker series robots…so irritating, unless you know that a certain spot on their body contains an easily damaged, yet vitally essential part," Sleeris chuckled hoarsely. 

Sleeris turned its attention back to Ramza and Agrias. 

*** 

Meliadoul twisted her head to the side and heard the large demon's fist slam into the wall where her head had been just moments before. The demon scowled in annoyance. 

For the past few minutes, Meliadoul, helpless without her sword, had been focusing all her energies into dodging the monster's attacks. Sooner or later, she knew, the Archaic Demon would tire of this game and simply begin casting attack magic, which she could not escape from. 

The demon grunted as it pulled its fist from the wall and shook it to ease the slight pain from the impact. While it was distracted, Meliadoul formed her own fist and drove it into the chest of her foe with all her might, hoping that that area might be weakened from her earlier sword thrust. 

If the demon had even noticed that she had attacked it, it gave no indication. Meliadoul growled in helpless fury, knowing that it was far too strong for her to cause any damage. 

Meliadoul heard a voice cry out, "Asura Back!" 

A large, fiery explosion erupted in front of her, almost searing the woman. The demon noticed this, and the second explosion to its side as well. It growled and turned around to see Malak a few steps behind it. Before the demon could do anything, however, a third fiery blast exploded. This one, unlike the first two parts of Malak's spell, hit its target dead center. 

The quick fiery explosion caused the demon to howl as its flesh was seared, but when it subsided, the monster still stood strong. With a roar, it ran to attack Malak. 

Malak began to concentrate on casting another spell, but the Archaic Demon reached him before he could finish. Before the evil beast could attack, however, Meliadoul threw herself on its back and began punching its head, gauging its eyes, and generally doing whatever she could to damage and divert it. 

The demon grunted in irritation and reached back. It grabbed Meliadoul and ripped her away from its back. The demon then proceeded to slam a palm sideways against her head and knock her unconscious. It tossed her aside and turned again to Malak. 

Malak, however, had finished preparing for the attack. "Sky Demon Back!" 

Again, the first part of the attack missed, but Malak kept concentrating. The ground ripped itself from the floor of the cave and began slamming itself into the Archaic Demon in large chunks of rock. The victim of this attack howled in pain as the pieces of stone assaulted the wound in its chest from where Meliadoul stabbed it earlier. 

As one attack ended, and the demon struggled to stand upright, another began. More rocks slammed into the monster in a steady flow, and after a moment, the beast gave a pained whimper and fell forward, bones everywhere crushed by the momentum and mass of the stones. 

Malak stood for a moment, getting his breath back as he looked around quickly. Meliadoul was still unconscious, and would have to remain so, since Malak didn't carry any Phoenix Downs. Still, all the minor monsters had now been accounted for, so unless Sleeris came this way, she'd remain safe. Alma had finished casting MBarrier on herself by now, and was administering a few potions to Byblos. 

Looking further, Malak saw that Sleeris had apparently disabled Worker 8, and was now advancing on Ramza and Agrias. Malak ran to help them. 

*** 

Sleeris swung its large claw in an arc, trying to smash both Agrias and Ramza in one blow. The Zodiac Monster had underestimated their agility, however, and both warriors nimbly jumped back to avoid the attack. 

Ramza was beginning to tire by this time, the strain of many futile attacks and narrow dodges taking their toll on his stamina. Looking over at Agrias, he could see that she, too, was beginning to tire slightly. Sleeris had trouble hitting them, but unless they could find some way to harm the servant of darkness, they would eventually become to fatigued to keep evading its attacks. 

Sleeris lurched towards its intended victims again. This time, though, any attack it may have been planning was cut off by the arrival of Malak, who ran in front of Sleeris and swung his Octagon Rod with all his might. 

The result was a resounding, somewhat gong-like noise as the rod bounced off the head of Sleeris and threw its owner off-balance. 

Ramza groaned and mentally crossed off the attack he's been planning on Sleeris's head. Apparently, it was just as hard as the rest of the body. 

Sleeris issued a small growl of minor irritation and grabbed Malak. It tossed him with some force into the nearby wall of the cave. With a thud, the man impacted the wall and fell to the ground. He didn't get back up. 

Just then, Ramza felt his movements speed up, and his bruises and small cuts began to slowly scab over. Alma had cast an MBarrier spell on him. 

Unfortunately, Ramza was not the only one who noticed this. Sleeris, having dealt with Malak, now turned to the source of the spell and ambled over to her. 

*** 

Ramza's sister held her ground even as the giant beast approached her. Byblos knew that she had to be terrified, but her hands never even shook as she gripped her staff tightly. A fine pose for death, without fear, only courage. 

And death it would be, Byblos knew. Nothing could stop Sleeris now. Meliadoul had been their only hope of stopping it, and she was not only separated from her sword, but also unconscious. By the time both situations were remedied, Sleeris would have killed everyone present. Even now, it was partially toying with Ramza's party. Its orders from Lucavi had obviously been to exterminate Ramza first and foremost, so Sleeris was not wasting time attempting to kill his friends. It would have plenty of time to finish them off when Ramza was dead, but for now, knocking them unconscious would suffice. 

Byblos watched Sleeris approach Alma. The Zodiac Monster of Cancer had not seen him yet. Byblos could run now. The cave was open, there was no one to stop him, and Sleeris certainly wasn't fast enough to hope to catch him. If Byblos fought Sleeris, he, like Ramza and all his friends, would have his life ended here and now. 

Now was the chance, while Sleeris was going to deal with the Beoulve girl. One quick leap to the side, then a short dash out of the cave, and Byblos would be free of his debt to Ramza and possibly free of any attempts of Lucavi's to find and punish him. One quick leap… 

Sleeris reached Alma. She tried, valiantly and futilely, to attack it with her small staff. Sleeris was preoccupied… 

Byblos leapt… 

…straight at Sleeris's armored body. His claws gleamed as he flew through the air. Byblos could not leave Ramza and his allies to their deaths alone. They had fought for Byblos against Elidibs and the Apandas that had been sent after his desertion to track down and eliminate him. They had saved him from capture, a fate worse than death. Byblos would repay Beoulve regardless of cost. 

As Byblos made contact with Sleeris, he became a blur of motion as he slashed in a wild frenzy against the shell of the demonic beast. 

Sleeris stopped as if puzzled, then hissed an amused response to Byblos's attack. "Byblos, old comrade, what are you doing? Surely you know that my armor is far too strong to be pierced by your insignificant assault." 

With that, Sleeris knocked Byblos away, as a man knocks away a bothersome insect. Byblos landed hard on the floor. He struggled to rise, but two of his limbs had been twisted and perhaps broken upon impact with the ground. 

*** 

"Byblos, old comrade, what are you doing? Surely you know that my armor is far too strong to be pierced by your insignificant assault." 

Agrias's mind froze for a second as she heard Sleeris's words. As Byblos was knocked away, and Alma ran to stand beside her brother and his bodyguard, revelation dawned on Agrias. 

"Armor…" Agrias murmured in realization. 

Sleeris turned to face the three remaining opponents. "Enough play. You die now." 

Agrias would have one try at this before Sleeris was upon them. Hoping, praying, willing for it to work, she concentrated. Meliadoul had taught Agrias some of her Divine Knight abilities, but had not really finished instructing Agrias on this one technique. 

Agrias looked at Ramza, standing grimly, ready to protect his sister and his bodyguard with his life. The man she loved. 

"Shellbust Stab!" Agrias cried out, and swung her sword… 


	29. Chapter 29

__

Legal Crap: I don't own the FF series, or the game, or the copyrights, and I certainly don't make any cash off of writing about it. So now lawsuits, por favor.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Chapter 29 

By The RPGenius 

A giant curved blade sprang from the ground toward Sleeris's shell. It sliced straight through the Zodiac Monster of Cancer's armored body, cutting the shell in half and leaving Sleeris screaming in pain and shock. The pieces of the armor that had shielded the hideous monster against all previous attacks now lay in shattered pieces on the ground. Underneath was a twisted, frail purple body that looked almost too withered to possibly support the rest of it. 

Agrias allowed herself a small, relieved smile. 

"Agrias, you are a genius," Ramza said grinning. 

Sleeris roared and charged. Without its armor, it moved considerably faster. But not fast enough to make any sort of difference. As it came to Ramza, it swung its huge claw down to crush his skull. 

It never reached its target, however, as Agrias's shield raised to block it. As the claw made a low gonging sound against the raised shield, Ramza thrust his sword into the twisted body of Sleeris. 

It was like cutting through butter. Sleeris's body was soft and weak, and the sword had no trouble penetrating the skin and stabbing straight through. Sleeris screamed in agony. 

Ramza pulled his sword out and thrust again. And again and again. Over and over he plunged his weapon into the monster's soft flesh until Sleeris collapsed to the ground. 

"It…can't be…I cannot be…beaten…" came Sleeris's shocked cry from the ground. "Very well, Beoulve…you win…but you shall be destroyed nonetheless!" 

And with that, Sleeris was gone in an explosion of dark energy. 

*** 

It was over. 

Ramza let the Ragnarok drop from his weary hands. Breathing heavily, he turned to look at Agrias, gratitude and love in his eyes. She looked back at him and smiled. They embraced one another. 

"Brother?" came Alma's shaking voice. 

Ramza looked to see Alma staring further into the cave, eyes wide. Ramza frowned and turned his eyes to where she was looking. 

Standing further back in the cave were seven Ultima Demons. 

"Oh, no," Ramza said, breaking the embrace with Agrias and grabbing his sword from the ground. 

Agrias followed his eyes and saw the demons as well. Her face tightened. "I count seven Ultima Demons, Ramza," she said quietly. 

Ramza nodded. In its final moments, Sleeris must have called these monsters forth to do what it couldn't. 

"Agrias, get out of here. Alma, you too," Ramza said evenly, not taking his eyes off the new foes. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Ramza, you'll be slaughtered alone," Agrias said, gripping her sword tightly. 

"And if you stay, the three of us will be," Ramza countered. "We can't win by fighting and we can't outrun these things. But I can hold them off for long enough for you to escape." 

"I'm not leaving you, Ramza," Agrias insisted. 

"I'm not going, either," Alma agreed. 

The Ultima Demons stepped forward as one. Their wings folded back as they prepared to fight. 

Ramza dashed forward to attack them before they could him. "GO, you two!" he yelled angrily. 

"Not happening, Ramza!" Agrias called as she charged as well. 

But before they could reach their foes, they heard a small, squeaky voice yell from further behind the demons, "Kupo! Kill Ramza enemy!" 

And suddenly, there were moogles everywhere. The thirty moogles that Magop had guiding Ramza and Agrias before, all armed with some form of crude weapon, swarmed the demons and began attacking from all angles. 

The demons were fearsome creatures, but they could not fight against so many at once. For each moogle they could take out, another five seemed to take his place. In addition, the demons could not risk taking the time to concentrate on casting any spells. 

Several moogles were even climbing up the backs of the demons and stabbing them with small, crude, yet very sharp knives. And once Ramza, Alma, and Agrias joined the fray, the demons' fates were sealed. 

One by one, the Ultima Demons fell from the repeated, vicious attacks of their small enemies. Finally, the last fell to its knees and slumped to the ground. 

*** 

A few hours later... 

The moogles had been kind enough to provide Ramza with enough medicine that they'd stolen off of Sleeris's troops to fully heal all his friends. Mustadio had looked over Worker 8 and repaired the robot to functioning status. They had all exchanged their stories of what had happened outside and inside the cave. 

The moogles had performed a small ritual for those that they had lost while fighting the Ultima Demons. Each dead moogle's body had become a Spirit Crystal, and each crystal had been taken solemnly down to lie with the horde of other crystals deeper in the cave. 

Now Magop approached Ramza. 

"Kupo. Ramza, Ramza's friends leaving?" he inquired. 

Ramza nodded. "Thank you for all your help, Magop. But I'm worried about your moogles. Syldreth's soldiers are still in this cave, and there are probably a lot of them. Will you be okay?" 

"Ramza no worry, kupo. Bad humans stupid, get lost easy. Moogles stay away until humans gone," Magop reassured him. 

"Still, it might be safer if you were to find another place to live," Ramza said. "Perhaps you could come back to the surface?" 

Magop frowned. "No, kupo. Other humans not like you, not like your friends. Other humans bad, greedy, evil. Not enough Ramza's on surface world, kupo. We stay." 

Ramza knew that there was truth to Magop's words, and did not try any further to persuade the old moogle. Magop turned away, and lead his moogles back into the cave. 

Ramza turned back to his group. Everyone watched him expectantly. In their eyes Ramza could see loyalty, trust, friendship, and, in Agrias's eyes, love. 

He smiled and realized, not for the first time, how incredibly lucky he was to have these people as allies and friends. 

He climbed up on Boco's back and helped Agrias up next to him. Then Ramza gave the order to move out. 


	30. Epilogue

__

Legal Crap: Well, this is the last time I get to say this: don't own it, don't profit from writing about it, don't wanna get sued. Ah, how nice to finally have it done with.

**__**

Trials of the Valiant Epilogue 

By The RPGenius 

Lucavi sat upon his throne in the deepest regions of Hell. From the tormented, agonized screams that could be heard from far away, it appeared that Sleeris was getting the punishment it deserved for so badly messing up its last mission. Not only did it fail to kill that irritating Beoulve, but it had also lost several of Lucavi's demons in the process. 

But, Lucavi reflected, it was thankfully not an important loss. It would have been nice to take vengeance upon the man who had ruined Lucavi's hopes of conquering that planet in the near future, and it certainly would have made things easier if there was no way Beoulve could leave descendants who could possibly ruin Lucavi's plans again when he next attempted to take that planet, but it was not essential that Beoulve die yet. 

Lucavi laughed a laugh that would have sent cold chills down the spine of a serial killer. Lucavi had more important things to think about right now. One planet may be safe thanks to that lousy Beoulve, but there was another world that the lord of evil had his eye on now… 

  



End file.
